


Princely Anxieties

by Ookami_Productions



Category: World of Warcraft
Genre: Anduin can't sit still for 5 minutes, Anduin is too pure, Anduin's first trip to Exodar, Angst, Bolvar best dad, Bronze Dragonflight, Canon But AU, Canon Character Ressurection, Cheating, Death becomes him, Dragons, F/M, Fake Character Death, Father-Son Relationship, Father-son arguments, Flashbacks, Friends fighting, He needs to take a chill pill, Hurt/Comfort, I lost count of chapters, Kidnapping, M/M, Mind Control, Mind Manipulation, More tags as the story goes on, Nightmares, Reunion, Running Away, Sentinels, Sheesh, Taelia is a bae, Time Travel, Truth, anduin is now a shadow priest, anduin needs friends, angsty teenage dragons are angsty, birthday celebration, boys having fun, canon character death, crying anduin, gayness begins ch13, it's becoming more and more angsty, kairoz is a dick I swear, kid!anduin, light - Freeform, mini breakdown, more like dual specced, racism?, sad anduin, storytime with Auntie Jaina, that took long to reach, uwu, well kinda, wrathion knows nothing
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-02
Updated: 2019-09-01
Packaged: 2020-01-01 03:33:52
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 19
Words: 64,655
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18327794
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Ookami_Productions/pseuds/Ookami_Productions
Summary: Events but seen through the eyes of Anduin. From when he was a child celebrating a birthday without his father all the way to fighting a war against Sylvanas and the Horde.Tagged as 'Canon but AU' as most events will be canon to the lore, but certain details are not quite canon or simply au. Think of it as a different timeline from the canon one (like the alternative Draenor, for example).(Tagged mature for future content)





	1. Birthday alone... or not

**Author's Note:**

> The story will end up as Wranduin, but for the first couple of chapters, Wrathion won't even make an appearance as, canonically, Anduin didn't meet him till Pandaria. So stay tuned through Anduin trying to survive his daily princely duties and shenanigans. 
> 
> Now sit back, relax and enjoy the story of Anduin Wrynn and his view on the world.  
> Don't be afraid to leave a comment if you liked it or absolutely hated it.

It was a warm spring morning in the Eastern Kingdoms. A few clouds were gently moving through the skies, but there was no sign of rain coming anytime soon. The young prince was just waking up in his chambers. 

 

It was his eleventh birthday and he was without either parent. His mother had died when he was still a baby and his father had gone missing only a couple months ago. He had waited every day to hear any news, even if it was of his death... He just wanted to know that his father was found. He sat up in his bed and looked out the window across it. It was such a beautiful day for such a celebration, yet… He didn’t want it. He wanted his father. He even missed their sword training, no matter how much he truly hated it.

 

There was a knock on the door and the all too familiar voice of his regent-lord was heard. “Your highness, are you up? There is something we need to discuss with you”, Bolvar Fordragon spoke in a serious tone. Was it really that important? Most of the problems were dealt with by reagent-lord Fordragon and the royal advisor, Lady Katrana Prestor. What could it be that needed his guidance? He was only a child. Even though his word was technically the law, it was Bolvar and Katrana who spoke and decided for him.

 

“I will be out in a minute”, he called out before going to dress himself. He started dressing himself after turning 10 as he didn’t like too many people coming into his chambers. He had grown accustomed to being alone with books, be it reading or writing in his private journal. He still had maids bring him food and clean his clothes, but not dressing him.

 

After dressing himself accordingly, royal blue pants and a buttoned up white shirt, black boots on his feet, he opened the door, being greeted by Bolvar standing straight and strict in front of him. Bolvar always looked like that. Anduin sometimes wondered if the occasional smiling face and laugh were fake. “What am I needed for, regent-lord?”, he asked looking up at the tall man. He hoped he’d be able to grow that tall. He hated when people looked down on him. He didn’t want to intimidate his opponents and people the way his father did with his size and known power. He was more of a peaceful soul and wanted to deal with problems more by talking than attacking straight on.

 

“Come with me. I fear we must take action quickly”, he spoke as he walked towards the throne room, Anduin following after him confused. He was slightly scared. What could be so serious? Bolvar seemed to have stopped in front of the large door leading to the throne room before looking at the guards and giving them a quick nod. As on que, they opened the door and before Anduin could even see everyone gathered there, there were sparks and confetti in the air. He blinked a few times to clear his vision from the sudden flashes…

 

In front of him, the throne room was decorated in bright colors, having a rather celebratory look. “Happy birthday, your majesty~”, chimed through out it as people cheered and clapped. There wasn’t many people gathered there. It was mostly the people he was used to seeing around the keep with one new addition.

 

“Ah, so you’re the King? Aren’t you a bit young to be a king?”, a girly voice spoke. Anduin turned towards it, seeing a young girl with dark hair looking at him with her head tilted. 

 

“Who are you? I haven’t seen you around…”, Anduin asked, curious about this little girl. Did a citizen sneak her way past the guards? If so, he’d have to fire some people. The King’s safety was the most important.

 

“This is my lovely daughter, Taelia. She’s flown her way here from Kul Tiras just for your birthday, your majesty” Bolvar spoke as he picked up his daughter in his arms, smiling the way Anduin hasn’t really seen him do before. It was kind of heartwarming to see the usually strict and serious man be truly happy for a moment. Anduin knew that he deserved it with how he was taking care of him in time of his own father’s disappearance. Anduin was still kind of confused by the whole party, he guessed he should call it.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, Taelia. I’m Prin-- King Anduin Wrynn.” he said with a light bow, the way he was taught from young age. This got him a chuckle from her, obviously finding it rather funny. “And you, Regent-lord, if you wanted to ask to spend time with your daughter, it’s fine with me. I’m sure Katrana could take care of the country’s business for a day alone”, he said completely serious. He was touched that they were all congratulating him, but with his father missing, it all felt empty.

 

“Wha? Andy, papa doesn’t want to spend time with me! Well, he maybe does, but that’s not the point.”, the girl, Taelia, motioned around the throne room with her hand before being set down by her father, “This is for you! Papa called me over cause he wanted you to have someone your age for your party!”. Anduin blinked a bit before feeling his cheeks redden a bit from embarrassment. It dawned on him that them wishing him a happy birthday wasn’t the end of it. They all actually wanted to celebrate his birthday with him.

 

“You really think more for others than for yourself, young king. With everything happening, we thought you should have this one day to celebrate your special day”, that was Katrana, his advisor. He turned over to her and smiled a bit. She wore a blue dress with gold accents that looked weird compared to her usual black and red dresses. The party still felt like a weird and distant thing to him. Before, his dad would usually take the day away from duties, leave them to his advisors, and spend it with him: they’d visit his mother’s grave and then have whatever he wanted for dinner. A party, even small, was something new.

 

“Thank you…” the prince said, a soft smile on his face as he looked around. He looked towards the entrance as if his dad was gonna bust in any minute, but that didn’t seem to be the case. He turned back towards his loyal advisors. “Let’s get it started then”, he said, more or less just not knowing what else to say or do. Again, this was his first  **proper** birthday party ever.

 

* * *

 

The party was fun, it helped take Anduin’s thoughts off of everything happening around him, but he still didn’t want to ruin the tradition, so, once Bolvar and Katrana pulled away to deal with business, he sneaked out of the Keep and to his mother’s grave. He sat down at the bench and just looked at it in silence. His father was the one who usually started the conversations here, saying that his mother could hear everything. He took a deep breath about to start when he heard a voice.

 

“What are you doing here?”, he turned and saw Taelia approaching him before hopping on the bench next to him and taking a seat.

 

“I came here to talk to my mom… Dad says if I talk to her from here she can see and hear me… She died when I was really young”, he said. He found it somewhat easy to talk to her since they were close to age. She was fun to be around, but Kul Tiras was far, that much he knew… He didn’t know when he could see her again.

 

“Ah. My mom too. I have this locket with her picture”, she spoke proudly showing it off, “Daddy said it was her favorite locket and she always had it with her”. The prince smiled somewhat. He felt…  like someone understood him for the first time. Most of the grown-ups just felt sorry for him. Taelia was different. Taelia was something that he was missing all this time; a friend.

 

“Do you think our moms are good friends up in the sky?”, he asked tilting his head. She tapped her chin seeming in thought.

 

“I think they’re best friends! Just like we are!” she said jumping off the bench and taking his hands in hers, pulling him to stand up, “Now come! I’m sure they’d rather see us having fun than moping here like this! I’m going back to Kul Tiras in a day’s time! Let’s see if daddy is free to take us ‘round the city or something”. Anduin nodded a bit excited. A day’s time wasn’t long, but he wanted to have fun with his new best friend. Who knows when would be the next time he could see her again.

 

Together they ran their way back to the keep laughing and just enjoying the day. Anduin knew he was gonna get scolded for sneaking out, but if they didn’t want him sneaking, they’d make the guards better. Honestly, when dad came back, he’d have to have a serious talk with him about the guards and their blind spots. They found Bolvar quickly as he was talking with the guards about their disappearance.

 

“There you two are! You made me worry!”, he called as he went over to them, crossing his arms over his chest. Anduin gulped a bit, he was intimidated by the tall man, especially when he was mad.

 

“Andy went to visit his mom and I went with him to make sure he is alright, daddy~ Can we go take a stroll through Stormwind with you, pleeeeeeeease??”, Taelia didn’t seem fazed by him as she proceeded to ask the question. Anduin wondered what she was used to in Kul Tiras when Bolvar didn’t scare her even a bit. Bolvar sighed before nodding. He couldn’t deny his daughter’s pleas. She was only here for a short time and he, like any father, wanted to spoil her even a little. Making the prince happy as well was yet another bonus for him. After all, the kid had a rough time since his father’s disappearance. He deserved at least this much.


	2. Kidnapping and rescue

Time was passing slowly for the young prince. It felt like ages while it had only been a couple months. With the whole secrecy about the disappearance of the king and absolutely no news of him, Anduin was growing, with a lack of better words, _crazy_. There was a man once who presented himself as King Varian. He certainly _looked_ the part, but soon enough it was obvious it was but an imposter and Anduin grew wary of everyone and every _thing_.

 

The only people he still trusted were Bolvar and Katrana, who were with him from the start, as well as King Magni Bronzebeard, the dwarf king who was there whenever he needed him. Then it was no surprise that when Katrana turned out to be a Lady of the Black Dragonflight and Deathwing’s daughter, Onyxia, who even kidnapped him and flew him to the other side of Azeroth, into the lands of Kalimdor, he was very confused and scared…

 

* * *

The day started like any other, except right from the start, Anduin noticed the lack of guards _everywhere_. He really needed to hire and train more guards for the keep. He found Katrana in the throne room. “Auntie Kat…? What’s going on? Where is everybody?”, he asked confused. She told him a couple of times to just call her Auntie in private cause being called Lady or advisor was  _ tiring _ . He was dressed in one of his nicer looking shirts and pants, a blue combination with a golden lion embroidered on the chest.

 

“Ah, young king… I didn’t expect you to wake up yet…”, she spoke, a smile on her lips. Anduin was confused. Something seemed very wrong, both with Katrana and the whole situation. He could hear the sound of soldiers running approaching and Katrana clicked her tongue. “Well, I guess I won’t be able to just kill you here, young king…”, at those words Anduin went pale. Kill him? What? What was wrong with Katrana?

 

Before he could even react, a bunch of soldiers led by Fordragon came bursting through the door, but Katrana was already pulling him out towards the garden where she transformed into a large black _dragon_ with horns on her head curved to the front and one on her nose. With her sharp claws she grabbed the prince who was even more stunned and scared from seeing the gigantic creature that he couldn’t even try to fight against her. As she flew up in the sky, the guards were powerless. Fordragon cursed at the sky as he watched the dragon flying off, carrying their current King, and the only descendant to the throne, away.

 

For Anduin, soon after take-off everything went blank as he fainted. The sudden change of air pressure got him feeling lightheaded so him fainting was an expected outcome.

 

He only woke up hours later in some cave. It was dark and he could smell earth and something _hot_ … He wasn’t sure where he was or if he was ever going to get back to Stormwind. He touched around a bit to try and get a better understanding of his surroundings and felt something that seemed like **skull**. He gulped. He didn’t want to die here. The first thought was that he’d never see his dad again. He will never get the chance to tell him he _loves him,_ to duel with him again…. He felt tears well up in his eyes. He wanted his father back. He wanted to be back home in the keep, with Bolvar, with his dad… Soft sobs left his mouth as he couldn’t keep himself from crying.

 

* * *

 

He wasn’t sure how long he cried nor when did he stop and fall asleep, but he remembers waking up to a _growling_ sound. At first he thought it was the dragon or something else coming to kill him, but when it sounded again, he realised it was his stomach. He was hungry. He checked his pockets and found some bread. He ate some of it to sate himself a bit before putting it back as he sighed and decided to search around himself some more. He won’t get anywhere just sitting in the dark and crying.

 

Looking around, he noticed a feint light coming from far away. He started crawling in that direction. He could feel a lot of bones around, which made him only that much more determined to go towards the light and try to escape wherever he was right now. It might not be so safe where the light is, but at least he’ll be able to see something… Though, with all the bones he was questioning if he wanted to see after all. The air still smelled like earth and _heat_? Except now he was starting to feel the warmth in the air even more. He wasn’t quite sure. Nothing he visited in the past smelled like this…. Maybe he should start going out more often. 

 

Making his way to the light, he came to a cave with lava in it and… In the middle of it the dragon that kidnapped him laid silent. Was it asleep? Did dragons sleep? He didn’t know the answer to these and many other questions… For now he decided to lay low there where he was. If he stayed there, she might not hurt him… After all, if she wanted him dead he’d be already… But why _didn’t_ she kill him?

 

“Oh, are you awake young king? Didn't take you long to come back”, he heard what sounded like Katrana's voice, but it was different; deeper and more **monstrous**. He didn't like it one bit, so he stayed hidden in the shadows. The dragon let out a sigh before turning back into her human form and crossing her arms over her chest as she sat down on the rock, turned towards anduin. “Dragons have a keen sense of smell, little king. Come out. I won't kill you… _Yet_ ”, she spoke. Anduin was hidden for a little while more before stepping into the light, keeping close to the entrance still so he can quickly hide inside, “Good. I was getting bored here alone”.

 

“Why did you bring me here then? If not to kill me… What was your plan from the start?”, Anduin asked determined, but just got a chuckle out of his ex-royal advisor. If it wasn't obvious, she was fired for kidnapping the king… And being a dragon. The female rolled her eyes.

 

“You’re so impatient, little king. Can’t a girl play with her prey before killing it?” she asked, raising her brow at him with a smirk. Anduin felt a chill down his spine. He was _scared_. He saw that this woman was actually a dragon. A dragon big and strong enough to kill and eat him in mere _seconds_ … And _she_ wanted to _play_? “Cat got your tongue? Sheesh, if you keep being a scaredy cat like that in the future, the future of the Alliance is grim.” Anduin could see her rolling her eyes again. He was still having a hard time understanding all of this. 

 

“J-just tell me already!”, he demanded trying to look serious and even a bit threatening, but the stutter gave him out. The woman just laughed at that. 

 

“You're seriously too cute sometimes, my prince. How **dare** you try to demand something from  _ me _ ?” she asked as she stood up and made her way over to him. The blonde prince tried staying his ground, but the aura that lady Prestor was emitting was enough to get him trembling. “That's better. Now, why  _ am  _ I doing this? To take over the throne, of course… Though I guess kidnapping you certainly lowered my chances by a lot. But, you see, you, _young prince_ , are very attuned with the Light, and Light brings the void, and void is a great old friend of my family and our…  _ Benefactors _ ”, she spoke, a crazy smile on her face, “And, dear prince, their goal is much bigger than your puny alliance”. Anduin just watched and listened to her. Benefactors? Void? He had heard of the void, but there were never enough books on the topic. When he tried asking some of the priests about it, they spoke of it as if it wasn't there. He even tried asking some elven priests, but he had even less luck there. 

 

“So what? You planned on taking over the Alliance and destroying it from within?”, Anduin felt anger swelling up in him. There was no way he was gonna let her do that… Well, not like he could do anything from where ever he was now… But he wasn't gonna sit still and do nothing. 

 

“Oh, Light, no. The plan was to use your attunement with the light and make you a pawn of the void… But you're still too young. The purity of a child’s soul doesn’t correlate with the void”, came her answer. Now Anduin was more confused. Why was she even telling him of her plan? Yeah, there might be people coming to save him but… Confessing your plan outright like that was just….  _ dumb _ . 

 

“Why are you telling me all this?”, he asked without thinking.

 

“Why? Well, I just want you to consider the void as your friend. Except, unlike others, the void won’t just leave you for long periods of time. It will be present with you at all times. Helping you.  _ Guiding  _ you!”, Anduin listened to her words. He knew he shouldn’t, she was obviously _evil_ , but… There was something about those words, about what they promised… They were drawing him in, inviting him… Offering bliss that the young prince wanted… 

 

“No! People have to part ways! It's natural that you can't be together _forever_. How else are they going to meet again if they never part ways?!”, He almost yelled closing his eyes. He didn’t want to listen to or look at her anymore. It was scary. Was everything she ever told him lies? All the times she’s been kind and there for him? No, he wasn’t gonna think about that… He felt a hand cup his cheek gently and tilt his head up.

 

“I’m sorry that you think so. Hopefully in the years to come you will understand what I’m saying”, her voice was soft, almost motherly. Anduin opened his eyes and looked up at the woman’s face. Her ember eyes looked down at him kindly as she gently stroked his cheek. “And once you’ve grown and ruling the Alliance, you should be aware of all the weapons in your arsenal. Especially such strong ones…”, her voice was so soothing while saying such dangerous things. Anduin didn’t feel as scared, but in his gut he knew this was even more dangerous than the angry dragon from before. “Now, it’s night outside, go sleep some more, prince and I will get my men to bring you some food once you’re up. Don’t need you starving on me”, she spoke as she moved back from him and headed to where she was before, freeing her dragon form as she laid back down.

 

Anduin watched her for a bit before moving back into the cave, but not too far in. He wanted to be sure he hears anything happening in the big part where Katrana was in her dragon form. Sitting there he thought about his dad and if he’d see him ever again. He was sitting for some time and slowly slipped off to sleep. He felt _tired out_ , even though he was technically asleep just a bit ago. The whole stress and everything was taking its toll on him.

 

* * *

 

 

The next time he woke up, there were roars, metal clinking and a lot more. He glanced from his hiding spot towards the dragon. There was a group of people, human and dwarf alike, fighting against the dragon. Among them he noticed a few elves, as well as one man he knew too well. “ _Dad_ …?”, he spoke to himself, not wanting to distract the fighters. He learned too well that even a slight distraction could cause the fighters to lose focus and get hurt.

 

The battle took quite some time, a few times Anduin even thought they were gonna lose, but in the end, they won. When he was sure the dragon was no longer moving, he ran from his hiding, straight to his father and before anyone could react, he hugged him, tears starting to roll down his face. “Dad! I knew you were alive! I knew it I knew it **_I knew it!!!!_** ”, he was happy and sad and scared and he didn’t even know what else. He didn’t care how people looked at him. He finally got his father and he didn’t want to let go, at least for a bit.

 

The man didn’t react at first but then… There was a sound of weapon dropping as Varian’s strong arms wrapped around his son. He held him close and that was all that Anduin needed right now. A father to hug him and… “Everything will be okay, Anduin. I’m here with you and I’m not going anywhere, I _swear_ ”, those words brought another round of tears from the blonde prince as he felt relieved. This was his dad. His dad was back. **_Finally_**.

 

“Lo’gosh? I didn’t know you had a kid. He’s such a cutie~ You should've told us sooner”, a female voice spoke. Anduin raised his head to look at an elf standing there smiling at him. She looked relatively young, dressed in red with a pair of daggers at her hips. From her attire alone Anduin could guess that she was a rogue.

 

“Leave them be Valeera. It’s important the kid is safe. Now we need to return them to Stormwind”, he watched a bear transforming into an elf, rather different from the other one. Much taller with a more purple skin. Anduin didn’t have plenty elves around him in stormwind, so meeting them felt…. exotic.

 

“My name is not Lo’gosh. I am Varian, King of Stormwind. Son of Llane Wrynn.”, he spoke as he set his son down and turned over to the two, “Valeera, Broll… I can’t thank you enough for helping me all this times through bad and worse.”

 

“Oh, relax, _ your highness _ ~ You helped us escape captivity. This was the least we could do”, Valeera spoke as she twirled a knife in her hand. The bigger elf seemed to scoff at her, but she just replied to him with a shrug. Anduin couldn’t tell if they were friendly with each other or not.

 

With similar banter the group left the cave, Anduin holding Varian’s hand, not wanting to be separated from him ever again. Outside they first made way for Theramore. There Jaina ran out to meet them, hugging Anduin close and then pulling back to inspect him. She wanted to be sure he was fine. She might not spend that much time in Stormwind, but she loved the kid and didn’t want to let anything happen to him. After also making sure that Varian was fine, she teleported them all to Stormwind. Seeing Bolvar, Anduin couldn’t help himself from running over to him and hugging him, more than happy to see him. After dealing with Bolvar and his worrying, Anduin made his way to his chambers, leaving his dad with bolvar to deal with all that needed to be taken care of from the 2 years disappearance. He wanted to write in his journal. Wanted to put his thoughts into words on a paper so that when he grows older he could always look back to remember this day. 

 

The day his dad came back.


	3. Intermission

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> ~~A short break from Anduin's adventures as we take a trip to the past with Irzenrion, a bronze drake who ended up at a wrong point in time~~

If someone were to tell you that time is linear, he’d be lying to you. Time is a net of all possible outcomes. Only the true timeline is linear. The Bronze dragonflight are the ones in charge of taking care of it and making sure everything is in order, as it should be. Their job consists of checking up on certain events where something seems to be wrong and getting rid of irregularities. 

 

Irzenrion was one of the bronze dragonflight. During his check-ups of his assigned timeways, he ended up in Stormwind, just as it was finished being rebuilt. It was the time when Arthas came to visit his best friend, practically brother, Varian Wrynn. Irzenrion thought of leaving, but being as curious as they come, he stayed. He wanted to see how it was gonna play out. He had never been in this time nor heard much about it. He knew that the king of Stormwind and the prince of Lordaeron were great friends, but nothing more there. So, he decided to take his own human form and watch how things go. 

 

He was rather tall as a human, standing at 190cm. His ash-blonde hair was long and let down, reaching to his hips. He wore a yellowish-bronze robe with dark brown accents and gold on the cuffs and collar. He also had a pendant with a clock attached to it. He didn't wear gloves and wore just a pair of brown boots. He made sure to blend in as much as he could while watching the events unfold. 

 

Varian and Arthas had brotherly moments, hanging like old friends, enjoying the way rebuilt Stormwind looked. Varian introduced Arthas to his future wife, Lady Tiffin Ellerian. The bronze drake wasn’t confused seeing the dislike Varian and Tiffin had for each other. He had heard stories, even visited some moments in time, when the two hated each other, even tho soon they grew inseparable. Arthas, on the other hand, seemed interested in Tiffin. The bronze dragon couldn’t tell if it was mutual or not, nor if it was some form of jealousy. 

 

At one point, Varian had to leave the two to finish some important business concerning the city. Arthas and Tiffin spoke about a lot of things, but were far enough from him in the noisy streets so he couldn't hear everything. Irzenrion even followed them to an inn. He entered it thinking they’re just going for a drink, but was soon proven otherwise. The two had entered the inn and rented a room. The bronze dragon was confused now, but ordered himself a drink, not to seem suspicious. Tiffin was Varian’s wife… well, future wife. She was gonna give birth to his son, Anduin… Did she cheat on him before their marriage? Wait then…

 

He slowly climbed upstairs, trying to stay as silent as he could. He didn’t even need to climb both flight of stairs completely as he heard the squeaking of a bed… He got flustered and froze in his place. Spying like this wasn't okay in any situation… But he had to know… He climbed some more before listening. At first it was only squeaking, but after he heard their voices, he knew… He quickly teleported himself forward in time as to not get caught. He didn't even check how far he was going. 

  
  


This time he came to Anduin’s birth. Here Varian and Tiffin seemed much closer and lovey dovey. He sighed a bit. So they were happy together… But… Just what did her night with Arthas mean? And more importantly, what does it mean for the future of Azeroth? Knowing timeways, it was something important, but he wasn't quite sure what. 

 

He saw Arthas and Lady Jaina coming to wish the married couple all the luck and happiness, Irzenrion finally noticed it. Young Arthas looked  **a lot** like how Anduin looks at roughly the same age. It wasn’t hard for the dragon to put two and two together.

 

Anduin wasn’t the son of Varian and Tiffin… He was the child of  _ Arthas _ and Tiffin… This changes everything. The bronze dragon made his way back in haste. He needed to find Nozdormu and seek advice. The aspect would know what to do. 

 

He took one last look at the kid happily laughing with the four before going away and phasing into the 27th year after the opening of the dark portal. A time he was sure he could fine Nozdormu to seek for council. This wasn't something he could just keep to himself. Was it? Revealing it to the public would cause an upheaval… 

 

He was up in air for a bit trying to decide what to do. He gulped before flying towards the bronze dragonshrine. He will seek council, but tell the aspect that he personally doesn’t think it should be revealed. Taking in account Arthas’ ascendancy to the frozen throne, Anduin doesn’t need to know of this past. He will be happy born as a Wrynn. He will at least have one parent instead of having none. Not to mention he won't be losing his  _ father _ until he was somewhat older. 

 

Meeting Nozdormu, Irzenrion stood serious in his dragon form, the way he arrived there. Nozdormu seemed in great thought as he sat in his seat. “You're right on time, Irzen. I've foreseen your arrival”, the great aspect of time spoke. 

 

“Then you must know why I'm here… The situation with the young Stormwind prince. Is he a Wrynn or a Menethil?”, the younger dragon asked, already knowing the answer. He was a Menethil, that much was obvious from before. 

 

“He is both, my dear Irzenrion. Born a Wrynn but of Menethil blood”, this reply caught Irzenrion off guard. He didn't quite expect this as an answer, “As such, he will face many threats and make as many friends as he does enemies. But, not even his mother knew that he wasn't a Wrynn. Had she lived to see him grow, I'm certain she'd realize whose child he really is”. Irzenrion listened carefully to the great aspect’s words. 

 

“So, are we to keep this to ourselves, great Aspect? The kid is still young. I fear if he knew, he'd be influenced by stronger forces than he could ever handle.” at that the aspect opened his eyes and looked towards Irzen. 

 

“One day he will find out. Even then he won't be ready for it, but that's how the time chose it fit. For now, keep your findings to yourself and don't tell anyone whom you think could end up in contact with the young prince.”, after that, the aspect closed his eyes and returned to his own thoughts. Were it new visions or trying to understand his regular ones, Irzen didn't ask. He said his goodbye before flying off to continue with what he had in plan and keeping it all to himself. He wanted to tell at least someone, even though it was dangerous. 


	4. Loss of a loved one

The time following his father’s return wasn't as peaceful as he had hoped. Heroes of Azeroth had made their way to another planet, called Outland. The alliance has accepted aliens who looked like anthropomorphic space goats in. They seemed very attuned with the light, even following beings supposedly made out of pure light, called the _naaru_. Anduin was excited to meet these new people, creatures maybe, as well as see the Naaru. He managed to meet Velen, a prophet of the Draenei, as they called themselves, and the one who had spoken with the naaru many times in the past, but alas, there was word, from the north, that the scourge was getting restless. Almost as if the one known as ‘ _The Lich King_ ’ was waking up.

 

Anduin knew not to ask if he could go. He'd get denied before he could get half of the question out. But he was somewhat fine with it. He wasn't really feeling adventurous after his meeting with the black dragonflight.

 

What was bothering him was that both Varian _and_ Bolvar had to go. It was something along the lines of ‘Controlling Jaina so she doesn't make some stupid decision and hurts herself and those around her’ and with Varian being the king, and what kind of king would stay behind during a war. Anduin really couldn't understand some of his dad's more barbaric methods.

 

And now here he was again, this time thirteen, alone in the keep. Except this time there was no Bolvar nor Katrana. Just him and some maids and soldiers. Valeera, the elf that was with his dad while he was lost, checked up on him a couple of times. She even taught him to use daggers, for self-defence. He found those easier to use than a sword. Much lighter and, as he's learned from Valeera, much deadlier when used right.

 

* * *

  

One day Prophet Velen himself came to visit the young prince. The two of them sat out in the Keep’s gardens, enjoying a cup of tea. Anduin just couldn’t help himself but ask the older male about the naaru . Velen smiled, before starting the story of how he met with the naaru and just how much they have taught him. Anduin was a careful listener and even asked Velen for more details. In the end, Velen showed him how the light could be used to heal. And Anduin just _had_ to try it.

 

The light seemed to come to him even faster than either of them expected it. He first felt it on the tips of his fingers and then spreading down his arm and through all of his body. It was a soft warmth that he felt gliding through his veins. It was like a mother's hug… or at least he thought so. He had heard his mother used to be a priestess. Maybe the light was another connection to her that she left him, beside their shared hair and eye color...

 

“Ahh, you're doing great, young majesty. I thought your father wasn't attuned with the light. He seems more like a warrior than a paladin or priest”, Velen spoke, snapping Anduin out of his thoughts about his mother.

 

“Hm? Oh, yeah, he isn't attuned. My mother was a priestess, though and attuned with light… I was told once that I was as well.”, he said and watched the draenei smile softly. He really looked like a grandfather playing with his grandson like this.

 

“Ah, whoever told you must have been a strong light user themselves. I, myself only found out how strong I was when I began conversing with O'ros, the naaru that helped us escape, and studying from it and other naaru”, Velen spoke softly, reminiscing about the past. His face slowly turned into a frown. Anduin could only guess that he was thinking of his planet being destroyed and all that followed.

 

“I wouldn’t put my gold on that. She did speak about void only moments later… What is with the void, Ageless one? There are no books on it in Stormwind that I could find access to, yet everyone keeps telling me not to ask too many questions. I don’t want to use it, but if it’s so powerful and troublesome, I want to at least be prepared for it and know how to fight it”, he asked tilting his head a bit as he looked at Velen who seemed to be completely focusing on him since the mention of the void. He looked almost scared at the mention of void. Was it something so scary?

 

“Void is something you should not play with, young prince. It’s a dangerous power that destroys everything in its path, corrupting the user from within. Even those prepared to fight it know to sometimes fall under its influence and turn against their comrades or even their family”, Velen spoke seriously. Anduin listened and nodded in understanding. He hoped that he could finally get some more answers about it.

 

“I understand that much. Light produces shadows. Shadows are beings of the void… Please, Prophet...I want to know how to protect myself, and the kingdom, from it. If my dad goes missing or dies, I want to be ready to take on the crown permanently or temporarily and be someone who can take care of the kingdom and not just a spoiled prince on the throne who asks his advisors for everything”, the prince was practically begging now. He was ready for any sort of journey if he was sure that he could protect his loved ones when the time comes. The leader of the draeneimade a long exhale.

 

“You’re surely pushy and stubborn, my prince. That will be very helpful if you end up fighting the void”, he spoke before placing his hand on Anduin’s chest, “What you need to know is that, the Light resides in your heart and is as strong as your belief in it, while the void…”, he moved his hand and rested two fingers against the young prince’s forehead, “Attacks your mind, clouding it and corrupting you until you become just a mindless pawn to it”. Aduin felt some warmth on his forehead and as he looked up he could see a floating rune on his forehead where Velen had just removed his fingers from. “And this is a gift the Draenei got from the Naaru. It’s our way of staying out of the shadows and walking in the Light, the same way as you should, young prince”, he finished, a soft smile on his face. Anduin was looking up at the shimmering rune floating near his forehead. He could feel light seeping through him from the rune, warming up his body just like when he himself was trying out the light.

 

“Ah, I wish I could learn more about the Draenei, but I can’t leave the castle premises…”, Anduin said sadly as he looked up at the man as if asking to be snuck out somehow. He knew that there was no way to do that, after all, even when he tried to sneak past the guards to get to his mother's grave now, he'd get caught. Once when he tried, he was stopped by Matthias Shaw. Which was honestly weird since he thought the man was in Northrend, but apparently he was ordered to stay back and make sure Anduin was okay and doesn't leave the keep.

 

“You know that we can't, but... how about this, after the enemy in the north has been dealt with, you can take a ship or portal to Exodar and I will escort you and let you meet O'ros, our naaru”, Velen offered with a smile and Anduin nodded like an excited child, which he still was, even if he learned to act more like an adult. “Then it's settled. When the heroes and your father come back, you can travel over to Exodar to study the light.”, the prince wrapped his arms around Velen. He wasn't sure what to say, other than repeating ‘Thank you’ a thousand times. Which wouldn't be princely at all.

 

* * *

 

Sadly for the prince, the Exarch had to return to his people soon after. He said he came over just to check up on the young prince in case he needed something, be it help or just company for a while. Then, Anduin was alone again. But this time he could practice with the light. It felt so warm when he used it. He loved that feeling.

 

He wished he could show it to his dad and Bolvar. He wanted to be in Northrend with them and help heal them, but he knew he couldn't. Instead he sat bored around the castle reading books and filling his journal with pages and pages of light-practice and missing his dad and long-time reagent lord. He did have people carry in the news from Northrend, messages and news of the Alliance's success up north. Anduin excitedly awaited those. Fall of Naxxramas and Kael'thuzad, beating Lich King's Black Knight, the stories of great dragons that lived there and fall of one of the ‘aspects’... They were all amazing stories, he was so proud of their champions and all their accomplishments.

 

Then, for a while there was no new news. It was just messages stating that they were all fine, but nothing else, then… One day it stopped as well. For days there was no news. Anduin began to fear the worst. Did he lose his father? Then… Who will take care of the kingdom if Bolvar doesn't come back either?

 

He felt his brain starting to cloud with such thoughts, but there was a flame of hope still in his heart. They couldn't have died. His dad promised him that he will return. He promised to come back and take Anduin for a ride on the gryphons. He is strong! He will come back! They will both come back laughing and then spend time with Anduin.

 

* * *

 

Some more days passed and Anduin tried not to focus on that. In fact, he worked harder on his light training, he sometimes even sent guards to get him a priest trainer for advice. He had gotten good at summoning the light to warm up his soul and body. He even started healing the maids that hurt themselves when they drop something. It was his way of thanking them for their work. Some of them blushed, others just thanked him and called him a good boy.

 

Then, one day, horns blared. Loud, happy horns. He rose his head from the book he was reading and went to the window, looking over at the docks. A couple ships have arrived and among them he could recognize his father's, even from so far away. His dad was back finally. And everyone's cheering, meaning they must've won. The scourge was no longer!

 

He ran out of the keep so fast he surprised the guards who didn't manage to stop him as he ran all the way to the docks without a stop. He only stopped when he jumped in his father's arms. Varian smiled as he held his son in his arms. The father and son had missed one another so much. They were more than happy to be back together. Anduin pulled back after a bit and looked around. He didn't see Bolvar anywhere. Was he still in Northrend to clean up? He also noticed that Jaina didn't return to Stormwind. Though, for her, he guessed she just went home to Theramore.

 

“Dad, where's uncle Bolvar? Is he on a different ship? When is his coming?”, Anduin asked excited as he looked around and then back at his dad. He saw his father's face switch from happy to serious.

 

“Son… Bolvar isn't coming back. He… Died. He was killed by the Lich King in our final battle with him”, he spoke softly. Anduin stared at him. He was lying right? This… This was a joke? He felt tears pooling in his eyes as his vision became blurry. Bolvar couldn't be dead.

 

“N.. No. NO! That's a lie!”, he yelled out as he jumped out of his father's arms and ran away. He could hear Varian calling after him, but he didn't want to stop. He didn't want it to be true. Bolvar was alive. He had to be alive. Bolvar wouldn't just die… He promised to come back!!!

 

Before he realized it, he had arrived at his mother's grave. He sat against it in a way that it hid him out if sight from anyone who decided to come. He curled up there and started sobbing softly. He was remembering all the time he spent with Bolvar. The two long years without his father, Bolvar was there for every second of it. He was his second dad. He even got his daughter there just so Anduin feels less lonely… Taelia… What will they tell her? Could they even contact her? He wasn't even sure how far Kul Tiras was or he'd go there himself right now.

 

He could remember the few times Bolvar laughed with him, the times when Katrana, Bolvar and he were happy, even though he was missing his father. This was like losing a part of himself.

 

He didn't even know how long he was crying, but he seemed to have fallen asleep there. He didn't want to believe this was true. Tomorrow, Bolvar is gonna return on the ship and say it was all a joke, or something. Hug him and pat his head… It couldn't be true… It just couldn't.

 

* * *

 

In his dream he saw his mother. She was smiling at him softly as she lovingly stroked his hair. He felt safe and warm with her. She helped him forget about the ugly world outside. Here only the two of them existed and only they mattered.

 

“Son, you need to wake up, else you'll worry your father”, she spoke lovingly. He looked up at her with a frown.

 

“But I want to be with you… I wish you were with us, mom… “, he said and watched her smile. It wasn’t a happy smile, but a sad one.

 

“I know, dear. But I need you to take care of your dad for me. I fear he might make mistakes with his attitude. So I need you to calm him down, okay? Can you do that for mommy?”, Anduin nodded at that. He could do that much for his mom. He knew that this wasn’t real and that his dad did need him in the real world. “Good boy. Visit me again with your dad. It's lonely without you two. Now wakey wakey, my dear”.

 

* * *

 

When he woke up, he saw the ceiling of his room… Was it all just a dream after all? His dad and Bolvar are both fine? He was happy that he got to see his mom. He tried turning his head to the side, but he stopped, feeling a sharp pain in his head. It hurt so badly. He raised his hand to his forehead and tried summoning some light to see if it can heal it. He felt that his forehead was hot already. But not light warm, but hot as in fever hot. Was he sick? Then… Then it was true… Bolvar is gone.  
  
He tried turning his head again, despite the pain and he saw a flock of brown hair by his side. “D-dad?”, he called weakly, but it seemed as it was enough. Varian raised his head almost instantly to look at his son and exhaled relieved.  
  
“Oh, thank Light! You’re okay! You scared me! I thought you got lost or kidnapped or ran away forever and I just, it hurt, I didn’t want to lose you like I lost your mother… You’re my only son, Anduin… Even if I’m strict with you, I love you!”, he kept talking and talking and going in circles… Anduin felt his head hurt again.

 

“D-dad… it’s okay… I’m sorry… Can you get me some tea, please?”, he asked and Varian agreed right away.  
  
“You rest, son. Dad will get you tea and soup and everything else you need. I won’t let you die on me” he said before placing a soft kiss on Anduin’s forehead and then heading out. Anduin guessed he was just gonna order some soup and tea from the maids to bring to his son. I mean, as far as he knew, his dad wasn't a cook or anything.

 

* * *

 

He must have fallen back asleep cause after some time, his dad woke him up gently and served him soup. Anduin took a spoonful of it and almost gagged at the taste. This wasn’t the usual soup the cook made. “Did the usual cook make this?”, he asked awkwardly. He didn’t think the man did. The man could make amazing meals. A soup shouldn’t be a problem.

 

“No… I cooked it. I wanted to be like a real father to you and take care of you. With the Lich King out of the picture and both sides having lost a lot of great warriors, we’re at a bit of peace right now. Meaning I can spend time with you properly.”, Varian spoke as he helped Anduin eat more.

 

“Ah… It’s tasty, dad”, he lied with a smile on his face. He couldn’t just tell his dad that the soup tasted as if someone was trying to poison him. It would destroy his dad. “Hey, maybe when I feel better we can… Go for a gryphon ride?”, he asked a bit shyly. He didn’t want to get denied. it was something he was looking forward to doing.

 

“Of course! Anything you’d like son. Just get better”, Varian smiled lovingly before kissing the top of his head, “Now, I just have to go over to my advisors for a while, you get some rest… And finish the soup, okay?”  
  
“Okay, dad. Love you”, and with an ‘Love you, too, son’, Varian was out the door and Anduin could let out a long sigh. He _so_ didn’t want to eat this disgusting soup, but a savior came in a form of a maid carrying a tray with another bowl in it.

 

“Soup from the chef for the young prince. Chef said he didn’t need you getting food poisoning, so he sent this over… Unless you want to finish eating your father’s soup”, the maid said as she stood at the door. Anduin looked at her as if he was looking at an angel.

 

“Please! I love dad but this is so baaad”, Anduin said weakly. The maid exchanged the two trays before leaving the prince to eat his soup. This one actually tasted good and helped warm him up without leaving a taste of a dead rat’s ass in his mouth.


	5. Learing Experiences

It took three days for the young prince's fever to go down. During which he was visited by his dad twice a day _at least_. Jaina made her visit once as well, dropping by to take care of Anduin while Varian had an important meeting to attend. Anduin could tell right away that she wasn't feeling good either. She had dark rings under her eyes and looked as if she, too, had been crying a lot the past few days.

 

“Auntie, is everything okay? You look _really_ tired”, Anduin asked as they sat down in his room together, each of them reading a book of their own. He found it the easiest to bond with her in silence like that. They did know sometimes to play games as well, but usually it was a lovely peace and quiet, each with a book and a cup of tea.

 

Jaina turned to look over at him quizzically. “Yeah, everything is fine. The battles in Northrend were just… _Exhausting_ ”, she spoke with a soft smile on her face. Having spent time seeing how different women's smiles could be, Anduin could tell this was more of a _Don't worry about me, dear_ smile then a _Everything is fine_ one.

 

“You didn't lose anyone you loved, right? You're important to me. I wouldn't want your happiness to disappear like that”, he spoke and watched as her smile lost its fakeness and showed a real sad smile. Anduin hated that he knew to read his Auntie like this, but he'd rather she tells him than keep it bottled up inside and hurt herself or someone else.

 

“I did lose someone I dearly cared about up on the citadel. He was my… _fiance…_ I guess I never did tell you the story of me and him did I?”, Anduin shook his head at that before turning so that he was on his side, facing her, as he prompted himself on his left elbow. He was excited to hear the story. He always loved his Auntie and wanted to know more about her, sadly Jaina wasn't so open about her past as he had hoped. “Well, then sit back and relax as I tell you the story of my beloved prince and I”, Jaina began as she let out a sigh. Most people knew of them, so this was the first time she actually had to tell someone the full story. Everyone who knew of Arthas knew that it was a sore subject, and yet, here she was now about to open the Pandora's Box for the current prince of Stormwind.

 

* * *

 

_It all began when I visited Lordaeron as to offer the Kul Turan fleet and soldiers to the alliance in their fight against the enemies, orcs if I remember correctly. I had arrived earlier than expected so I took a stroll around the town, enjoying the beautiful flowers being sold by some of the merchants._

 

 _“I'm sorry to disappoint you, but you won't find a flower matching your beauty amongst those in this city, though I'd be more than glad to find one and gift it to you”, came a voice from behind me. When I turned around I was met with a tall man with long blonde hair and piercing blue eyes. I recognized him right away. It was prince Arthas Menethil, the next-in-line ruler of Lordaeron. He bowed to me once I turned around and even kissed the top of my hand, and I curtsied_ _back at him._

 

 _“Oh, I didn't know that the prince was such a sweet talker? Maybe I'll take you up on the offer for that flower”, I replied with a smile. He was such a charmer,_ don't be like him Anduin, _I couldn't resist when he invited me to see the Lordaeron royal gardens. And let me tell you, they were the most magical and beautiful place I've ever seen. It's really sad that they've been ruined by the undead…_

 

_“And what brought you to Lordaeron? I don't remember seeing you around before.”, his question made me wonder whether I should reveal myself right away or play with him, but I have always been a good child._

 

_“My name is Jaina Proudmoore, prince Arthas. Do you treat every ally this way, cause I'm not sure if my father would enjoy a visit to the royal gardens and an offer of flowers.”, as I spoke I could see a soft blush on his cheeks._

 

_“Ah, lady Proudmoore… I.. Didn't expect you to be this beautiful… I'm glad that I was wrong. Then, let me officially welcome you to our city of Lordaeron”, he said and bowed again, kissing the top of my hand. Back then I still believed that it's gonna stay just an alliance. But I was wrong._

 

_During my stay in Lordaeron, every day he'd come with flowers, and often sweet words. When I'd ask him why, his response was usually something along the lines of ‘I just want to make sure that your stay was comfortable’. The two of us spent a lot of time together back then and became really close._

 

 _The day before our departure, we had another meeting with the Menethil family as to officially sign our alliance. There was another royal there, your father, Varian Wrynn. Though, back then he was much less serious and much more…_ Childish _. We all sat at the table as the talk went on. Just as my father was about to sign, Arthas stood up._

 

_“There is one more thing I'd like to add to our Alliance agreement”, all eyes were on him. Even his father, king Menethil, looked rather confused by his son's sudden actions. “I wish to ask Lord Proudmoore for his daughter, Lady Jaina Proudmoore's, hand in marriage. I would like her to be my future queen”. I could feel my face burning up. I looked over at my father who seemed to be waiting for me to answer the proposal myself. He was not making it easy for me, but I was glad that he let me choose my own future._

 

_I was silent for a while and I could see Arthas starting to look nervous. His father was sighing, probably feeling ashamed of his son's actions. I swallowed before looking Arthas in the eyes. “Deal”, as the word left my mouth, I could see Arthas dropping back down into his seat, looking relieved and as if a huge load was just lifted off of his shoulders. My father chuckled into his beard as he signed the papers and then stood up and shook hands with the king Terenas._

 

_“Our fleet is now available to the Alliance in case of any troubles.”, he spoke, but I didn't pay attention to them anymore. I was looking over at my future husband sitting across the table from me. Varian was with him teasing him about who will be the best man._

 

_After that I had returned to Kul Tiras with my father as to pass the news to my mother and brothers. Arthas and I kept contact through letters. He was so sweet that I could hardly wait for our wedding. But… Back then I couldn't know that my happiness was gonna be over before I knew it._

 

 _I had visited Lordaeron a few months later to see him and to come to Stormwind with him. Apparently his best friend and practically brother, Varian, your father, got a son. And that was when I've met you. Your mother, Lady Tiffin, let me hold you and you were such an adorable baby. Such a small baby that grew up into such a strong child!_ I'm sure your mother would've been proud of you, Anduin.

 

_On our ride back to Lordaeron, Arthas told me about what has been troubling him. There seemed to be some new, weird plague troubling the kingdom. No one knew where it came from, just that it easily destroyed whole cities and towns, leaving undead zombies behind. Arthas was planning on taking a small army and try to discover what happened. I agreed to help him. I didn't want to see him get hurt. But… That was the day that marked the start of his fall._

 

_Last I remember of him being sane was him planning to cull the whole city of Stratholme after discovering that plague was distributed through the wheat and that, apparently, the whole city was to fall soon. I couldn't stand to watch it nor help him destroy the city. Neither could his menthor, Uther. So we left._

 

_We don't know what exactly went down, just that there were no more humans living in that city after that. There was also talk of him picking up Frostmourne, a sword that eats both the soul of its user and those of people it kills. After that Arthas was no longer the same man he once was._

 

_He killed his father with that sword and then made his way to Northrend where he became… The Lich King…_

 

* * *

 

Anduin pulled Jaina in a hug seeing her tears about to escape again. He didn't want to see her crying. She lost much more than he did. She watched the man she loved become evil and kill people close to them. He didn't need to hear any more. He wished he could help her somehow but he didn't know how.

 

After a bit of silence, Jaina pulled back, wiped the tears from her eyes and smiled at him again. “Now, don't tell your dad I told you the story. He sees Arthas as a traitor, ever since he took the Frostmourne into his hands.”, Anduin nodded and smiled back at Jaina. She looked slightly better after getting this off of her chest.

 

Both of them went back to reading. Anduin could tell that Jaina was trying her best not to start crying again. It was hurting him. If he could, he'd go back in time to stop Arthas from making a mistake, but sadly time traveling wasn't possible.

 

* * *

 

During his fever, Anduin had received a letter from Velen, officially inviting him to visit Exodar. Talking his dad into letting him go was _hard_ , but after a _long_ talk and a promise that he'd send a letter _every_ day, he was allowed to go. Although, Varian surely took out the _adventure_ part of the trip. He demanded that Anduin, at least this first time, is sent there through a portal. Anduin wanted to argue, but knowing being teleported was better than not going at all, he had to agree to it. After all, there will be other times when hewill getgse setsts to travel by boat, he hoped.

 

His father was there to see him off the day he was going. They hugged before Anduin and two guards that Varian assigned him moved through the portal.

 

Stepping in h,he was ready for new, amazing things, but what welcomed him on the other side was even greater than he could imagine. Velen was there to personally welcome him to Exodar, together with two, what seemed to be, Draenei warriors or paladins. Looking down he could see a pair of hooves at the end of their legs. With Velen wearing a long robe, one could hardly notice his hooves, but here Anduin could see other Draenei and their hooves. They looked so weird and confusing to him, but all the draenei seemed to be able to move on them with ease.

 

The ‘city’ in itself was their crashed spaceship. Everything was either a darker blue or lighter purple with gold accents. Glass, _or was it crystals_ , were a somewhat pinkish color. The whole thing had such an outworldly appearance, so much different from Stormwind. Anduin was amazed and excited. He couldn't even decide where he wanted to go first.

 

“Would you like to meet the Naaru, young prince?” Velen asked, bringing Anduin back from his fantasy land.

 

“Yes, please. I would love to meet them”, Anduin said trying to act princely, but it wasn't helping that he was so excited. Ever since Velen visited him and told him about the Naaru, he wanted to see them and meet them. They sounded like such pure and amazing creatures. He wanted to learn about and from them.

 

Velen took him down a spiral ramp and as soon as they've descended only a couple meters he could see an almost blinding light coming from his side. The creature was flat, gigantic and a light yellow in color. It took them a couple of minutes before they descended and stood fully in front of the creature. Anduin gulped a bit as he looked up trying to inspect all of it. It seemed to be made out of a couple flat pieces all kept together in place floating while surrounded by light.

 

“O'ros, the young prince of Stormwind has come to meet you”, Velen spoke while Anduin just stared up at it. He could hear light bell chimes in the air before a warm feeling filled his body. He was already used to it after all the time he practiced with the light, but every time it felt more and more calming.

 

“It’s nice to meet you, young prince.”, he heard a chiming voice in his head. He was confused and scared as he looked over at Velen for help. The Prophet motioned with his head over to the naaru. As Aduin turned to look over at it again, the voice continued. “Yes, it is I, O’ros. I heard you’re interested in learning about the light. Being in Exodar will surely help you with that a lot. The draenei here have dealt with light a lot. Much more than you humans have. They understand light in its pure form”, he could hear the voice again and he nodded. He was getting more and more excited to start studying here.

 

“Don’t say it like that. There’s a lot we don’t understand about the light either, but we sure keep learning as much as we can with your help, O’ros”, Velen spoke. Anduin felt as if the bell sound tickled him. Was the naaru laughing? There was so much that he could learn here. He just couldn’t wait.

 

* * *

 

After his initial conversation with O’ros, Velen took the young prince to the inn where he got Anduin and both of his guards beds. After they left their clothes there, Anduin followed Velen to the Vault of Lights. He first noticed the lights o the ground spinning and moving in waves and what not, but then his eyes fell on the projections.

 

“W-What are those?”, Anduin asked looking at the purple projections of all those… Creatures. He’s never seen anything like that. They looked so monstrous and scary. He slowly started heading towards one that was a female with some sort of crown and six arms, two of which held swords in them. Before he even got an answer from Velen, there was a voice coming from the machine.

 

“Shivarra. Species: Shivarra. Affiliation: Burning Legion. Function: Priestesses, Military Chaplains. Devout and exceedingly charismatic, these priestesses live only to evangelize the power of Sargeras’ dread vision. They are the driving heart of the Burning Crusade.”, Anduin jumped back hearing the voice as he looked voer at Velen scared. The old exarch chuckled softly watching the young prince.

 

“Sorry, sorry. These are our Holographic Emitters. They show different forces of the burning legion and contain some basic facts on them. It’s like an encyclopedia, only with life-sized visuals”, Velen explained before leading the young prince to another one. This one was big, had a pair of big demonic wings and horns on his head. Just a projection of it seemed scary to the little prince. He couldn’t imagine meeting one in real life. The emitter began playing the track again.

 

“Dreadlord. Species: Nathrezim. Affiliation: Burning Legion. Function: Special Police, Interrogators. The Nathrezim are merciless villains who feed upon the energies of mortal creatures. They utilize terror and subterfuge - often turning brother against brother as whole worlds fall before their dark influence.” these ones even sounded scarier than the previous. Anduin could just imagine how it would be for a brother to fight a brother. Or even a son to fight his father… His mind thought of Katrana. She somewhat tried to ruin the Alliance from within, but he didn’t think she’d be like these guys.

 

“These are one of the worst ones out there. Though, each of them are equally bad.” Velen said looking over it. Anduin nodded while he was already heading towards the next one. This one looked just like the draenei, except they seemed to wear less clothes only. Was it there by mistake? He was snapped out of his thought by the emitter.

 

“Eredar. Species: Eredar. Affiliation: Burning Legion. Function: Overlords, Strategists. The cunning, powerful eredar warlocks were once our noble kinsmen. Yet they fell to the lure of Sargeras’ evil and now they have become our most stalwart enemies.” it spoke and Anduin watched it surprised. So they were the same but these chose to be evil and Draenei chose to follow the light?

 

“I think that’s enough of that, young prince. We should get to studying the light, no?” Velen spoke and Anduin turned towards him and then nodded. He wanted to begin his lessons. Exploring Exodar could come at any time. He wouldn’t want his visit to Exodar to pass without him learning anything new priest-wise.

 

Velen lead him up the staircase on their right and there the two of them sat down. Velen began his lecture, showing Anduin more ways to use the light for healing, and later a couple ways to use it for self defense. He told him how the powers of the light are mostly used for healing, but can be used, in the hands of paladins, for protection and even attack. The priests themselves have light based attacks as well, but they just don’t use them that often.

 

* * *

 

Velen turned out to be a stricter teacher than Anduin thought at first, but as strict as he was during lessons, once their lessons were over he was very kind hearted and nice to the young prince. Out of their Light lessons, Velen taught him about the void as well. He even heard of the void from the naaru itself.

 

One month passed without Anduin even noticing it. He had met a couple draeneis, learned some of their language, explored their isle… All in all, he had a nice little adventure out of the keep, something he wanted for so long. His hair grew slightly while there, but he didn’t plan on cutting it. He seemed to enjoy it like that more. He was no longer a little kid. His new hairstyle made him look somewhat more grown.

 

He was discussing the light some more with Velen as they made their way towards the mage sector in the Vault of Lights. He didn’t want to go back home, but he knew his dad would flip it if he didn’t return home on the agreed date. One of the mages had summoned a portal to Stormwind as they’ve arrived and Anduin couldn’t help but sigh. It was back to the old boring keep now.

 

“What’s troubling you, young prince?” Velen asked with a soft smile. Anduin was sure that the older priest knew exactly what was troubling him but just wanted to be nice and ask.

 

“I just don’t want to return to the boring keep again. I had fun here”, Anduin confessed and Velen patted his head gently, almost like a grandpa would his grandson.

 

“You can’t make your father worry, Anduin. The door of Exodar are wide open for you whenever you decide to visit. So, return home and you can visit us some other time again”, he spoke and Anduin let out another soft sigh. He couldn’t argue against Velen. The man had a point.

 

“Thank you. For everything. I just hope that next time I could come with a ship… Instantly teleporting is quite boring.” he said trying not to whine. He has grown close to the prophet with time. He felt as if he was a part of his family now.

 

“That part is on your father, young prince. Now off you go. Say hi to the king for me and, if we’re needed, give us a call. The draenei will be sure to come to Stormwind to help fight the horde or any enemy you face.” Velen spoke and Anduin nodded. He looked over at his guards and motioned them over as he headed towards the portal. He waved at Velen one last time before passing through.

 

He was not expecting that which welcomed him as he stepped out of the portal...


	6. Intermission 2

Knowing someone else's secrets was the worst feeling in the world, at least for Irzenrion. He always felt like he had a burden on his shoulders while keeping a secret. He knew he couldn't tell anyone, and it slowly ate him out. It was the worst when he was hanging out with Kairozdormu, another bronze drake whom he saw as a really close friend of his. Keeping a secret from him was the hardest. And by hardest, he meant impossible. Irzenrion just  _ had to _ tell him about it. He couldn't see why it'd be bad. They told each other  _ everything.  _ Or so he thought. 

  
  


“Hey, Irzen, you said you wanted to speak to me?”, Kairozdormu spoke as he landed in the wyrmrest temple, shifting into his humanoid form for ease. Irzen looked over at him and smiled a bit as he ran to hug him. 

 

“Kai! Long time no see!”, he said and Kairoz just rolled his eyes. Kairoz obviously didn't like the nickname, sadly he had to live with it since Irzen never seemed to notice his dislike of it. Even though he had mentioned it.  **_Every_ ** _ time _ . 

 

“How many times did I tell you not to call me that?”, he said, but his actions didn't show as much bite as his words did as he did return the hug.

 

“Yeah, yeah, anyway, are you up for a flight? I wanna show you something I've found”, Irzen said as he stepped away from Kairoz just to turn into his dragon form. Kairoz rolled his eyes and then climbed on top of him. 

 

“Since I just switched forms, I'm not turning back, so just carry me there”, he spoke and with a nod of his head Irzen flew up and away. He didn't have a problem carrying his friend anywhere. 

 

He flew them to one of the caves that could be found within Storm Peaks. There was wildlife there, but neither was worried. They could easily stop the time just in the cave, so that they don't bother them. Upon their arrival, Irzen let Kairoz climb off before he turned to his human form. Next to Kairoz, who preferred an Elven form, Irzen as a human was much shorter and much less  _ ‘fabulous’ _ . His friend couldn't hold back his laugh. 

 

“Did you take me here to show me your form? Cause man, you should've gone elven”, Kairoz spoke, trying to calm down his laughter. Irzen just let it pass, he was way too used to this. “I mean, look at that hair. So  _ ugh _ . Elven hair is much more  _ silky _ and the forms are much more  _ yaaas _ .”, Kairoz continued, even though no one present really cared to hear it. 

 

“No. I brought you here to tell you something… You know the current prince of Stormwind?”, Irzen began slowly. 

 

“Hm? The Anduin boy who's attuned with light or something, yeah, what with him?” Kairoz asked raising a brow. Obviously unsure of what Irzen wanted. 

 

“Well… He's not the son of who they say. I've ended up in the year when Stormwind just got rebuilt, after the Horde, not Deathwing, and… Arthas and Tiffin had an  _ affair _ ”, Kairoz seemed to perk up at that. Irzen thought it was cause he loved the gossip. 

 

“You don't say? Lich King's kid? Heh… This in itself can change the  _ future _ of the Alliance… I mean… Imagine if someone  _ found out _ … “, the elf spoke stroking his chin. 

 

“I know! Imagine if Anduin himself found out… He would never be able to trust his father again, and might even start an attack on the Undercity to take back what was rightfully his”, the human spoke. He didn't even know that he was giving his friend really  _ good _ ideas. 

 

“Yeah… Especially if someone close to him tells him… But I mean, it can also be good in a way. If the Alliance starts dominating over the Horde, then they'll have an advantage and once they destroy the rest of the Horde or make them become a part of the Alliance's forces, they'll be stronger against any common enemy in the future.”, Kairoz spoke seemingly to himself as he stroked his chin. Irzen thought about it a bit. He couldn't deny that Kairoz wasn't right. 

 

“Well yeah… But we can't let just one side overpower the other. You know what happens when there's no balance in the timeways, Kai. They will need to work together but not through sheer power dominance”, Irzen explained. Kairoz let out a growl at the nickname. He  _ really _ didn't like it. Not that it ever stopped Irzen. 

 

“But, Irzen, this world had gone out of balance years ago. We both know that. One side dominating is the way to go. After all, those mortals don't know how to solve their problems out of war. It's always war this and war that. Another war to push them towards a win is not even gonna be noticed by them”, as Kairoz spoke, Irzen could hear the anger in his voice. He was sure that his friend was against wars and that all this was just him sarcastically going on about mortals. 

 

“I can't deny that, but we need to give them a chance, Kai. We can't just right out go and tell them:  _ ‘The prince is adopted’ _ and let them start a war,  _ again _ ”, Irzen's voice was a bit sad, but stern. He was against the wars. They just wasted people's lives unneededly. It was time to stop that. 

 

Kairoz seemed to have just rolled his eyes at Irzen's words. “You really don't understand anything, Irzenrion. The burning legion is way stronger than these mortals. You haven't seen them. If they don't become one power, they will be destroyed”, his words held a lot more bite than ever, Irzen even had to take a step back. Something about Kairoz now was  _ scary _ . Irzen didn't get to say another word as Kairoz had left the cave and transformed into his dragon form. “Get out of your fantasy world once in a while, Irzenrion”, those words felt like acid against Irzen's skin as he listened to the person, whom he considered his best friend, speak so roughly to him. Only seconds later he watched Kairozdormu fly away with strong flaps of his wings. 

 

Irzen just stared after him. He could feel something in his chest crushing. Did he say something wrong to Kairoz? Did Kairoz hate him now? He didn't want to lose his best friend like that. 

 

“You're thinking too much.”, the feminine raspy voice seemed to echo from somewhere behind him. He immediately turned, not wanting to have his back turned towards a possible enemy. The female that was approaching him seemed dressed in full plate armor, icy blue in color. She didn't seem to be wearing a helmet so he could see her long icy-blue hair resting atop her armor. Focusing on her face he could see that she had an Elven form… Was she gonna make fun of him as well? “Honestly, when he sees that you're right, he'll come back”, her words did give him a bit of confidence, but then he remembered one thing. This was a stranger. 

 

“I guess, by the way, what is your name, if I may ask?”, he asked with an awkward smile. He didn't want to be rude. “A-also, you didn't happen to hear our conversation, did you?”, he had to make sure. If Nozdormu knew he told not only one, but technically two people, it'd be bad.  _ Really  _ bad. 

 

“Hm? Nope. I was resting from a previous rough fight I had. Got woken up when your friend started yelling and whatnot.”, she spoke. The echo present in her voice, he suspected was from the fact that they were in a cave. “My name's Aurolia Borealis, nice to meet you”, she spoke offering a gloved hand. He took it in his and felt just how cold the armor was. 

 

“The pleasure is all mine. I'm called Irzenr-- Irzen. Just Irzen”, he said, stopping himself from revealing his full dragon name. After all, being in human form he wouldn't want to just come right out as a dragon… They were told often to hide their draconic presence in front of mortals if they came in their humanoid forms. He couldn't trust her. She tilted her head a bit, stroking her chin absentmindedly as she listened. 

 

“Irzen? Isn't that a little hard to pronounce every time? How about I just call you Izzy?”, Irzen perked up at her words. Izzy? Did she just give him a… a… _ A nickname _ ? His very own nickname? All his worries and pain seemed to wash away as he looked at her, like a happy puppy. 

 

“Yes, yes of course. I… I never had a nickname”, he said with a bit sadder tone. He had always wished Kairoz would give him a nickname as well, but through all these years, he never did. An ungloved hand reached forward and messed up his hair a bit before sliding down his cheek and cupping it lightly as it was tilted so that he looks her straight in the eyes. The hand was cold, almost as if one of a corpse, and the eyes that he looked into had a lovely azure glow in them. If the rest of the eye had color and wasn't practically a pure white, he could say those were the prettiest eyes he'd ever seen. 

 

“I told you not to think too much.”, she spoke before a chuckle leaving her mouth and she moved her hand back, making sure to flick his nose lightly, “Now go on. You have work waiting, I'm sure. I’ll see you around sometime”, he nodded his head absentmindedly. He was still looking into her pretty eyes. She gave off a slight chuckle before stepping out of the cave herself, a skeletal gryphon moved over to her from somewhere on the side and she mounted it up and waved towards the still stunned Irzen in the cave. “Don’t stay out too long in those light clothes, you could catch a cold” and with that, the gryphon made a shriek as it ran off the edge and jumped in the air, spreading it skeletal wings and  _ somehow _ flying off.

 

“B-bye”, Irzen spoke as she was already flying away. He wasn’t sure how to explain the faster beating of his heart or the way he was simply charmed by her voice and eyes. After she had passed, he could smell something rotten in the cave. It smelled like those countless undead he’s been seeing around northrend. Was it her? Or was it just that mount of hers? He wasn’t sure. Minutes passed before he actually walked out and transformed into his dragon form and flew off.

 


	7. Destruction and reconciliation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This took me a while to write cause while writig this I was reading 'Blood of our fathers' sooooo I kind of HAD to add those scenes in as well. I hate writing Anduin cry but at the same time I also can't stop myself from making our perfect angel prince cry.  
> On a happier note: Wrathion should be appearing in, roughly, 3 or 4 chapters from now so we can finally have actual Wranduin in the story, I know, I can't wait either.

Stepping out of the portal, Anduin was welcomed by a sight he never expected to see. High Priestess Tyrande was in front of his father, together with some human that Anduin hasn't seen before.

 

“Absolutely not! I am not letting them anywhere near my Alliance!”, his dad yelled out before noticing the arrival of his son. _Whom was he denying entry? Who was this human? An agent?_ Anduin was confused. His dad never sounded _this_ angry. At least not in front of him.

 

“Your majesty, we have allied with the Alliance for many years, don't you have any trust in _us_ that _they_ are good? The Alliance now, more than ever, needs help. Deathwing isn't an easy target. We've communed with the dragons before,the Earth Warder won't fall as easily as the Lich King has”, Tyrande wasn't letting herself be swayed. After all, she had ruled for far longer than his dad did… She probably had her own tricks up her sleeve.

 

“Easy or hard, the Alliance can take care of it with some help from the Horde. I do not need help from someone who had already crossed the Alliance once. How can I know that they won't just close themselves off again when we need them the most? Last time they built their wall and cut off all contact”, his father was enraged, but this surely helped Anduin pinpoint who this was about. He had read about Gilneas and their _treachery_ thousands of times. But, how come they're back? How come they want entry into the alliance?

 

“Your Highness, I recognize what I did wrong and I wish to right my wrongs. I wish to help the Alliance as well as Azeroth itself”, the man, who Anduin guessed came from Gilneas, spoke.

 

“No. Last time your _allies_ asked your help you both walled yourself and denied helping any refugees. Genn, you have far overstayed your welcome in my city.”, his father was ruthless. He hated this side of him. He couldn't stand listening to him like this. People deserved a second chance!!

 

“Your majesty they've changed”, the elf tried again. Anduin was on her side with this. Seeing how his enraged father didn't notice his arrival yet, he decided to make himself known.

 

“Father, I think we should give them a chance. It's been so long since then. It's a new time. This time it might turn out different. In fact, I'm sure it will!!!”, he spoke, causing his dad to look surprised. Did he not expect his return? Well, portal traveling was always unpredictable.

 

“Oh, have they now? What makes you think that?”, as he asked, Varian faced his son, “Anduin, go back to your room, now. This does not concern you”, Varian was serious. His voice didn't leave any place for pleads or disagreement.

 

“Ah, you must be the young prince, it is nice to meet you”, the night elf spoke. Looking over at her, Anduin could see her dressed in a long, slim white dress. She looked so beautiful and her voice was so kind, “I heard you've been studying to become a priest”, he had heard her being called priestess, but was she attuned with the light? Weren't night elves more attuned to the nature and the moon? He was glad that someone wanted to discuss his career plans.

 

“Tyrande, we're not here to discuss my son's choices. Lead this traitor out of my Keep. I don't need self-centered allies while dealing with dragons and whatnot”, Varian spoke. Anduin could tell that he really didn't want to spend another minute discussing Gilneas’ return to the Alliance. But neither was he gonna stand for this.

 

“Dad, give them a chance! The second war was ages ago, we've lost countless people in Northrend, we will lose much more now. We need more help!”, Anduin spoke, defending the same cause as Tyrande. He himself didn't know what happened to these humans, but he sure as hell wasn't gonna leave them be. In Light's name, they were the same race, on the same side.

 

“That's High Priestess to you, Your majesty. The Gilneans are welcome in _my_ city. I hope that you, too, will understand that we now need allies more than ever. We will keep in contact, your majesty.”, she spoke in a voice that rivaled even his father in seriousness and taking no for an answer. After that, she turned back towards Anduin with a smile. “I'm glad to see you've taken interest in the light and healing. The Alliance can always use another pair of helping hands and another kind soul like yours”, she spoke kindly and Anduin just gave her a nod. He could see his father was pissed.

 

“Anduin, go to your room. This does not concern you!”, Varian ordered, but Anduin stood his ground.

 

“No! This does concern me. I will be the king one day and then the Gilneans will be welcome in this city and alliance!”, Anduin said, wanting to prove himself a strong-willed leader.

 

“Well, when you become king, you're free to welcome them, but as long as I sit on this throne, a traitor won't be welcome on the streets of Stormwind”, he said and pointed towards the entrance to the keep. He didn't plan or want to hear another word on this matter and that was final. "Out!"

 

Anduin looked from Varian over to the two guests before stomping angrily on the ground as he headed back to his room. He wasn't gonna stand for this. He heard from a couple of Draenei that the trip from Stormwind to Exodar is over a village of night elves. He knew where the boat to the Elven village was in the Stormwind harbor, so he just had to go there and take it. The boat left a few times from the Stormwind harbor, so he just had to time it, and best chance for that would be in the morning.

 

* * *

 

As he woke up that morning, he picked up his bag that he packed the night before and then headed out of the keep. He already knew his way around the keep so sneaking out was not that hard. The hard part came when he arrived at the harbor. He made his way towards the boat the elves used, but before he could even step onto the dock, he was stopped by a guard.

 

"Who goes there?", the rough male voice asked. Anduin gulped as he was unsure of what to say, wearing a greyish-brown outfit on top of his usual one, he couldn't just claim his real name, he'd be thrown in the stockades. He had to think of something quick. "Hey, I asked you something!", the male spoke as he grabbed Anduin's arm. He was about to reach for his knife when…

 

"Ah, did my companion bother you? I'm _really_ sorry, officer. He's a bit shy.", it was a Draenei voice that came from behind him. The officer let go of him and gave a sort of half nod.

 

"Greetings, champion. Making way to Darnassus?", the guard greeted. _Champion? Will she return me home?_ Anduin wasn't sure if he should run away but for now staying gives him a better chance of reaching Exodar.

 

"To Exodar. I'm needed back there for a hunt. My companion is coming along to sightsee.",with that, the female put her hand on the middle of anduin's back and pushed him forwards towards where a couple of night Elven sentinels stood guard, "We'll be off now".

 

As they've arrived on the front of the docks, they had to wait a couple more minutes before the ship arrived. In the meantime, Anduin learned that the draenei had a very light armor on and was accompanied by some sort of cat that he hasn't seen before.

 

"This is Loque'nahak. We met in  Northrend while I was hunting. She's a rowdy one, but quite friendly once you get to know her", the hunter explained. Anduin gave a shy nod as he watched the cat stretch her body. It looked so cool.

 

As the ship arrived, the champion led Anduin to a private room and sat down with him. Only then did Anduin speak up. "T-Thank you for your help", he said and saw the female Draenei smile a bit.

 

"All is well, your majesty. Even if I'm unsure of why you're in such an outfit, I feel honored being able to escort you. Just let me know where you need to go", Anduin jerked when the champion recognized him. His cover was blown?

 

"I… How did you know?" he asked looking away as he felt the ship starting to move and sway slightly on the ocean.

 

"I've seen many types of animals posing as others and stealthing. My eye just got trained in it. But don't worry, your secret's safe with me. Now, where is it you're heading?" the hunter asked, petting her leopard that seemed to be napping beside her.

 

"Exodar. I'm going back to study with the Prophet himself." Anduin spoke as he leaned back slightly. The soft rocking of the ship was making him sleepy.

 

"Sleep. The ride to Exodar is pretty long and you need some rest." the draenei spoke. Anduin gave a nod before climbing into the bed and drifting off to sleep. He knew that he could trust the champion.

 

* * *

 

He was awoken by the leopard after some time. "Come, we need to switch our ships.", the champion spoke as she headed out. Anduin rubbed the sleep out  of his eyes as he followed after her. Outside he was welcome by the kind of structures that he has had little chance to encounter before. It was all made mostly out of wood, compared to the stone buildings in Stormwind. It all had such a green and natural feel.

 

As they made their way towards their other boat, many of the night elves greeted the champion and she responded. Their second ship arrived soon after, so they boarded it straight away. Anduin would've liked to explore this Elven village, but he guessed he'd have time another time.

 

The trip this time was much shorter, so Anduin spent it outside, feeling the gentle ocean breeze in his short hair and some drops of water on his face as they sailed on. The smell of the salty water was not new to him, as Stormwind was looking out onto the sea, but being on a ship and traveling was. And he loved every moment of it. He planned on visiting his Auntie Jaina by boat as well one day. He wanted to spend so much more time on the sea.

 

As they've arrived, the draenei champion helped Anduin onto a seat of a mammoth before climbing on herself. "This is so we get in faster.", she said and then rode along the pier. Anduin expected this to be a long ride to the main entrance of Exodar, but after reaching the ground, she took a left and entered a tunnel that the prince recognized to be similar in build as the rest of Exodar.

 

Their way went down in a spiral for a bit before he could see the vault of lights appear slowly in front of him. On their way, they passed by one of Exodar Holographic Emitters which then activated and spoke.

 

"Succubus. Species: Sayaad. Affiliation: Burning Legion. Function: Intelligence Agents, Torturers. The cruel sayaadi temptresses exemplify the subtler side of the Legion's nihilistic crusade. They revel in causing anguish and pain - and their murderous interrogations are the stuff of nightmares.", the draenei rolled her eyes and Anduin just chuckled. Having these things activate every time someone passed them gets annoying pretty quickly.

 

The champion took him all the way to Velen who seemed rather surprised to see Anduin.

 

"Young prince… What a surprise… I wasn't expecting you back so soon. Why have you come back?", Velen asked. He didn't seem to mind Anduin's return, but was genuinely curious.

 

"I… Got mad at my dad and ran away… The champion, here, helped me reach Exodar by ship. It was _amazing_ though. The feel of ocean breeze, the smell of ocean right under my nose… I don't want to travel any other way anymore. Portals are faster, but the _journey_ this way is… Is… I have no words to describe it.", Anduin changed from sad and sorry to excited and almost jumpy. His first trip by ship was absolutely perfect.

 

"Well, I'm glad Tyonna here helped you out. She's a wonderful hunter and one of Exodar's biggest pride and joys when it comes to the things she had done for this world", Velen said smiling at the draenei that accompanied Anduin till now.

 

"I'm just doing all in my power to help the Alliance, ageless one.", the draenei spoke with a soft smile.

 

"Though, young prince, I think you should at least send your father a letter so he doesn't go insane with where you disappeared to. He's a caring father after all.", Anduin wanted to argue against this, but he knew that the prophet was right. He always was. He agreed to do it first thing after settling in, so Velen let the kid head back to his old room. He himself was happy to have the kid back as well. He didn't have many young in Exodar, so having Anduin here was a nice change of pace.

 

* * *

 

The following weeks in Exodar were, just like last time, both fun and exhausting. This time, Velen had asked him to help some refugees on Azuremyst Isle as well, which he gladly did. He didn’t want to be a burden on the prophet’s back, but instead something like his extended hand.

 

Yet, even this trip has come short as he had agreed with his father to return for Remembrance Day. It was a big celebration in Stormwind and the prince being absent might start some questions. At least this time he got to return home by ship again. That way he got to enjoy the sea breeze once more.

 

Arriving in Stormwind he headed straight to the keep. He planned to see his dad, as well as go relax in his room. But, just like with his last arrival, he got there to his father raging. He was mad, yelling at the nobles gathered in the keep. He could tell just from one look at Jaina that she was deeply concerned. He knew that she'd never have wanted to get his father angry, but Anduin couldn't stand this anyway. No matter how little or big the situation was, his dad was easy to get raging. Was he still just an uncultured brute? Can't he see that diplomacy is a way better solution to all the problems they face?

 

People were leaving the room, nothing Anduin couldn't understand. After all, _Lo'gosh_ wasn't anyone's favorite, nor did they want to make an enemy of him. He himself was the same. He was just as scared as everyone from _this_ side of Varian. Why did he even return? Exodar was much calmer… He locked eyes with his father for a second. He could see the regret filling his eyes, but it was too late. The prince slowly backed out and left for his chambers. He didn't want to be a part of this. He could go practice with his bow somewhat, something he learned from his visit to Ironforge once. At least there people weren't stuck on _Oooh you must be a strong warrior wielding a sword like your father oooooh._

 

He changed in his bedroom before heading out to practice with the bow. He made sure to circle the throne room so he doesn't run into his father. On his arrival here he could notice countless damage that's been done to the city. The park's gone, the keep had a few holes,... He could only imagine what could've done this. The talk he heard from some guards mentioned _a big black dragon._ Why were the dragons attacking Stormwind? Katrana popped into his head and he gripped his bow harder. Her death could've pissed them off… But why now? It was rather worrisome.

 

* * *

 

 _Ting._ Another arrow flew from his bow and slammed near the center of his target. The more he practiced, closer did he get to the center. Now he had 9 out of 10 arrows hitting the center and the remaining one hitting pretty close to it as well. As he went to pull his arrows out and re-do it yet another time, he heard slow clapping behind him. Quickly he pulled his last remaining arrow from his quiver, readied himself to shoot as he turned towards the sound.

 

"My, my, you've gotten quite skilled with the bow, my prince.", it was archbishop Benedictus standing there, so Anduin lowered the bow and returned the arrow to his quiver. He returned to his other arrows now certain that there was no threat.

 

"What is it you need of me, archbishop? If my father is summoning me, you can tell him _no_! I'm not returning yet." Anduin said, placing the last arrow back into the quiver and returning to his spot. Now that he was brought back to the real world from his concentration, he could notice that the sun seemed to be settling.

 

"Oh, Light, no. I just wanted to welcome you back. Not to mention, I have a remembrance day gift for you." _Ting._ Anduin looked over at the archbishop. The gift got his interest it seemed. He wondered just what exactly could it be. Remembrance Day wasn't a holiday one used to exchange gifts.

"Alright…" the prince turned towards the priest again, "What is my gift, archbishop?". The old priest smiled at the prince's eagerness.

 

"I can't give it to you right here, cause I don't have it with me. Come with me and I will give it to you", Anduin was silent for a bit before going to retrieve his arrow. After placing it back in the quiver and putting his bow over his shoulder he headed towards the archbishop.

 

"Let's go then." he said and the two of them headed off. Anduin easily recognized where the priest was taking him. He has been to his mother's grave so many times that he could find his way there blindfolded. As they approached the grave, he noticed a familiar silhouette standing in front of the grave. It was his father. Prince's face quickly darkened as he looked up at the priest, scowling. "When you implored me to accompany you, Archbishop, you failed to mention we would be joined by my father", he spoke not wanting to face his father just yet. His anger towards his father's uncontrolled rage was still present even after hours of archery.

 

"Sometimes, dear prince, to heal the world, we must keep secrets", he could see a smile on the priest's lips as he spoke. If he had learned anything from the prophet, it was that priests always spoke in this tone and way. Sounding mysterious and wise while mostly just saying some common knowledge.

 

"So this is your Remembrance Day gift, Archbishop?" Anduin didn't miss the softening of his father's voice, "A surprise family reunion?" Anduin's eyes darted towards the grave before returning towards the older priest.

 

"Partly. But there is more. Remember the quest you gave me long ago, just after dear Tiffin passed away?" the archbishop spoke as Anduin looked at him quizzically. He was still young then, so he doesn't have that many memories of that time… Except how often he visited his mother's grave. Looking over at his father, he could see him trying to remember what it was. Benedictus reached out and handed something to the king. Just one glance at it and Anduin could tell what it was.

 

"The key to Mother's locket." Anduin gasped. He thought that it was lost… Varian seemed just as speechless as he was.

 

"You found it! How?" was the only thing that the king could muster.

 

"Yes, sire. As you commanded. I apologize that it took so long to track down, but I thought today was as good as any to give the memories back to you both." Benedictus patted the prince's head.

 

"Thank you, Benedictus. You are a good man. I hesitate to think what I'd do without you." Anduin, as stunned as he was could tell just how emotional his father was at this moment.

 

The archbishop bowed his head. "Please, allow me to leave you to it." He turned to go, and as he did, he waved his arm once more. "Peace be with you both," he said, and he disappeared down the path. Anduin watched him leave before turning his attention back to the key before looking over at the gravestone. His mind was filling up with different thoughts. What could have mother locked there? Why was it lost in the first place anyway?

 

"It is good to see you, Son. I think you've grown at least a head or more since…" Varian caught himself. "I take it draenei food suits you?" Anduin didn't bother even glancing at his father as he replied.

 

"Master Velen says that I grow in all directions," came his reply, "Velen keeps reminding me that 'We each must grow in every direction, every day.'"

 

"Wise and worthy advice. Especially for a king… or future king." Anduin winced at those words before looking up at his father, his azure blue eyes catching his father's brown ones. He could tell from his eye bags and many more wrinkles that the king wasn't having a calm sleep in at least a couple of nights.

 

"Is the world dying, Father ?" Anduin could tell that his words caught his father off guard, but he didn't let that bother him right now. He had heard some stuff from the refugee humans, but they all cared more about themselves than the world in full.

 

"I hold no deep philosophy on such things, but I know the world cycles, just as do the seasons. Everything has its time, and things must come and go in the circle of renewal." now it was Anduin's time to be caught off guard. Varian had never spoken in such a philosophical manner with him. Maybe the king had spent one too many days around the old archbishop. "Just like a great weapon, son: the edge must be renewed every now and then if it is to retain its full power." now he just sounded like Velen himself. It was only slightly funny to see the brutish king spread philosophy like this.

 

"That's how Velen talks too. He says death and rebirth are part of the same wheel of the stars. And his people have seen the long march of time like no other." Anduin spoke remembering his times in Exodar and on the Azuremyst Isle as a whole. It was a truly wonderful learning experience.

 

"Then he must know that kings and kingdoms come and go, but truth, honor, and duty last forever."

 

"And love," Anduin said, barely glancing at his father. He personally found love more important than the rest. And not just romantic love. Parental love, family love… Even the love between friends. After all, love comes in many different ways.

 

"Yes, love", the king agreed as Anduin just continued.

 

"I think love outlasts everything" he was sure of it. Especially after seeing how Jaina was after the fall of the Lich King, and even his his father was about his mother even now… after so many years. Many have thought that the king will find another wife, but even after ten years he seemed to have stayed loyal to Tiffin.

 

"I have kept your mother's locket all these years to remind me of my responsibilities as king. To remember that actions have consequences, and a leader must live with his choices, both good and bad, because so many are counting on him." his father's words came as a small surprise as he was presented with the locket. He knew just how much his father cared about that locket." I want you to-- No, I thought you'd want to have it now… If you'd like of course" Anduin was speechless so he just gave a soft nod.

 

As the locket was placed around his neck, Anduin could feel light warming him up again. He took the locket in his hand and gently rubbed his fingers over the engravings. Varian also passed him the silver key. "It is yours now, you can open it when you are ready" Anduin thought for a moment before sliding the key inside his little pouch. It wasn't time yet, he knew. "She loved that locket, Anduin", Varian continued, "She loved beauty, and the people of Stormwind… But the thing she loved most of all was you".

 

Anduin could feel his tears threatening to come out. He wanted to stay strong in front of his father, to show him that he has grown. That he is not a child anymore. "I wish so much that I were more like you, father. I do _want_ to be a great king. But… I'm not… As strong", he wiped the tears that slid out of his eyes and started their travel down his face. He knew that tears meant weakness to his father and he didn't want to, at least now, look weak for him.

 

"No, Anduin. You have more courage than I do, and it flows from a place deep within your heart. Remember what your uncle Magni used to say? 'Strength comes in many forms…'" Varian put an arm around his son as they both finished the line in unison, "Both small and large!". Anduin smiled some through tears. _Uncle_ Magni, though not blood related, was there for him in the past until he was crystallized… He was one of the first people to suggest that he tries with daggers and bows instead of heavier weapons.

 

"I stand rigid and inflexible against the storm, but you feel the wind—you bend with it and make it your own—and thus become unbreakable.", Anduin was silent as he listened to his father's words. For the first time he felt as if he wasn't scolding him. "Your mother had those same qualities. She had perfected the art of gentle persuasion, and her love moved the world", words like this were only working against Anduin as fresh tears filled his eyes. He looked over at the grave him and his father had ordered for his mother. He had been here so many times before. "It is good that you can cry over her, Anduin. I have never had that… strength."

 

Both kept silent for a bit. The person laying there was the reason both of them were who they are now. For Varian she was a loving wife who was there many times to calm him down and keep him from making rash decisions, as for the prince… There lied his mother. The woman who gave birth to him and, even if he was young when she died, he could always feel her with him. Watching over him and protecting him in a way.

 

"I miss her." Anduin was the first to break the silence, "I know I was just a baby, but I can still feel her".

 

"And that is why you will be the greatest of Wrynn kings", for the first time in so long, maybe even forever, Anduin felt like his father accepted him, like he had finally _understood_ him. He felt such relief that he wanted to let it all out through tears, but he knew he couldn't. "So, tell me, from what direction do you think the ambush will come?", came his father's words. As expected from _Lo'gosh,_ such details couldn't escape him.

 

"They've been watching us for some time. Who do you think they are?" Anduin asked as he brushed away his tears. Time for crying was over.

 

"Likely assassins. Possibly taking advantage of the holiday distractions, a good time when the leaders of Stormwind would be together in public. So, what is your plan?", the prince could tell that this was both a test of sorts and his father trusting him to make the decision. After all, tomorrow he might not have Varian with him to tell him what to do. His eyes darted around a bit trying to seem as if he was just watching the vegetation around the graveyard.

 

"They will hit us from the east, trying to cover the main exit. We will be faced with a blunt attack of force, not guile. If we put our backs to the west wall, we can be sure to face them on more even terms.", Anduin spoke. He was quite observant, so he easily caught the smile on his father's face.

 

"Impressive. You actually were listening to all those tedious lessons I gave.", how could he not? As much as he acted like he disliked them, he knew he needed to know at least the simplest of those things.

 

"You've taught me more than you know, father", Anduin said as he was ready to quickly take his bow to protect himself. As the fireworks shot out, filling the sky with sparks of mostly blue and yellow, signaling the closing ceremonies for the holiday, the assassins also jumped out.

 

"It appears I'm going to be a little late for my speech." Varian spoke and Anduin could swear that there was enjoyment in his voice.

 

* * *

 

Their battle was long. There was roughly ten assassins joined by a sorcerer of sorts. Now, that wouldn't have been such a big deal if the sorcerer didn't manage to summon a drakonid, an enemy much stronger than any they faced before. The fight was rough and at the end he was barely hurt, but his father… He had a bad wound and he could tell that he wasn't gonna last much longer.

 

He ran over to his body, and as he held him, tears escaped his eyes. _No, no this couldn't be happening._ He couldn't be losing his father. Not now. Not like this. He heard some footsteps that sounded like running and they were getting closer, but he didn't care, he hardly even noticed when his auntie sat down next to him. All he could see was his father dying in front of him, and even that was smudged from his tears.

 

"You were right…", he heard his father's voice, "Love outlasts everything" as he tried to clean his father's face even a little, he could feel his body was cold. He could feel his own chest tightening as it got harder to breathe while his own tears rolled off his cheeks. He didn't want this. He didn't want to lose his dad. Not now. Not like _this_.

 

"I am so sorry, father", Anduin managed somehow, he wasn't ready to be alone. He still needed his dad...

 

"No. It is I who am sorry… For not seeing earlier what you are… What you have always been. I'm so _proud…_ That you are my son" Anduin could feel the king touching his cheek softly, "Do not mourn for me, Anduin. This has always been my fate… Do not let it be yours."

 

The prince could see and feel his father's body limp on the ground. Motionless. He himself couldn't move. His body felt numb… And heavy. His father died. In _his_ arms… He felt a hand on his shoulder, but didn't even move. He just couldn't get himself to.

 

"Come, Anduin. We must get you to the safety of the keep. The heir apparent must be protected.", whose voice was that? Anduin couldn't care less. The sight of his father's lifeless body was everything he could focus on. He couldn't accept this. This wasn't real.

 

"Let us leave this place", this was Jaina's voice… he felt another hand on him and this time he moved away. He wiped the tears from his eyes as he felt anger well up in him, not sure from where.

 

"No! This is not how it ends!" He shook the king. "Do you hear me, Father?! A Wrynn prince will not again watch a loved one die before him! This is not _our_ fate!"

 

The prince closed his eyes and slowly began to chant. He was remembering how he practiced with Velen. He knew this all by heart now and this time his feelings seemed to make the song stronger. A gentle warmth spread down his arms before reaching his hands and emerging from them as light. Faint at first but slowly growing brighter and brighter as he continued to chant away. He didn't plan on losing his father. If he could help countless men across the ocean, he could also help his father right here.

 

Slowly Anduin looked up at the skies, his eyes opening as he kept going. He could feel more light bursting from his fingertips and the kings body starting to slowly warm up from the light's power.

 

After his chant ended and the light subsided, Anduin looked back down at his father. He still wasn't moving and Anduin began to feel dread well up inside him. Did his chant fail? Did he say something wrong? Was he unable to return his father? He could feel tears welling up again in his eyes. Impossible. _Impossible._ He did everything right. Varian should be alive…

 

"S-son", he heard a weak noise and looked at his father's face. A pair of half opened brown eyes were looking up at him. A sense of relief washed over him and he could feel his tensed muscles relaxing finally. His father was fine. His father was _alive._ He did it. He started feeling light-headed and thought he was gonna fall to the ground, but instead he just leaned against something… Or someone. A pair of slender hands wrapped around him in a warm hug.

 

"You did it, Anduin! I'm so proud of you", that was auntie Jaina's voice. Anduin smiled as he returned the hug the best he could at the given time.

 

"Well… Sir, I know you'd love to heal up and rest but… There's a speech you need to hold.", the captain of the guard spoke and a small groan escaped the king before he started getting up. The captain helped him up while Jaina took care of helping Anduin.

 

When he was up, Anduin walked over to his father and the captain. "I can help my dad walk…", he said. The captain looked him over, but knew that he wouldn't win an argument against two Wrynns, so he just let them lean on one another. He was gonna walk right behind them anyway to make sure they won't just topple over.

 

And with that, they all made their way to the assembly for the king of Stormwind to hold his closing speech.


	8. Twilight Nightmares

Unlike with previous dangers, the cataclysm seemed to have brought more and more troubles each day. If it wasn't elemental lords, it was twilight cultists. If it wasn't twilight cultists it was earthquakes. If it wasn't natural phenomena, it was black or twilight dragons. All in all every day was a busy day. Yet, it didn't last as long as some people feared it might. 

 

With quick work from the champions, the cataclysm was prevented. The hour of twilight was stopped, Deathwing was killed… Even the rest of the black dragonflight seemed to have mysteriously disappeared… 

 

Anduin, on his side, had agreed to help out the night elves and their wounded, so he had set sail for Ruth'eran village to be taken wherever he was needed on Kalimdor. Elven culture was much  _ much _ different than both human and draenei ones, not to mention dwarven. Their houses seemed to be embedded into trees, most of their buildings and structures seemed to be built from wood as well, except in Darnassus where they had plenty stone structures as well, like the Temple of the Moon. 

 

During his stay, the prince even took his time to learn some of the local language. He didn't learn anything complex, but enough to be able to lead a conversation. This was mostly cause a lot of hurt elves tended to speak and answer in Darnassian and he couldn't always take another elf with him as a translator. Most people were busy in darkshore with repairing damages and healing others. 

 

Most of the elves were at first wary of the blonde prince, but seemed to warm up to him after a bit. Anduin was happy to be able to help them in this time of need. It helped strengthen the bonds between Darnassus and Stormwind, which, he was sure, would be needed soon enough. 

 

He also had enough time to speak with Tyrande about Elune. Elven priests seemed to get their power from Elune, a moon goddess, instead of the Light itself. It was different, but interesting to the young prince. In Darnassus he also ran into a lot of werewolves and other humans, whom, he learned, were both the Gilneans that the elves saved. Most of them seemed like good people, he could tell they were a great addition to the Alliance. 

 

He didn't stay there for too long, but he managed to do quite a lot to help them out with healing. Other than that, he managed to also get some archery training done with the Sentinels. They were of a much different caliber than any hunters and archers he's met before. Their bows as well were much lighter and able to shoot out much faster. There was just something about wooden bows versus metal ones that made wooden ones just much better. 

 

Shandris Feathermoon, the general of the sentinels herself, was asked to assist him, but because of her busy schedule she assigned him someone else. That's how he met Jeen'ra Nightrunner. Jeen'ra was a sentinel trainer, so she was quite skilled both in archery and in teaching someone else. She was accompanied by her pet, that she introduced as Nightshade. It was a lovely Saber with dark fur and lighter straps. It was different from the wolves he was used to seeing in the Elwynn Forest. 

 

One of the things he found interesting about Jeen'ra was that… Her hair was a pure white color but she looked younger than his father did. "My hair? We don't lose pigment in our hair due to aging like humans do. I was born with hair white like this just like you were born with golden hair", she explained when he asked once during their practice in his time when he was taking a break to recover his mana from all the healing he's done. 

 

"So then… It's normal?" Anduin asked and received a nod as the elf seemed concentrated on the target.  _ Ting. Ting.  _ Two arrows flew from her bow one after the other. The first landed in the center and the other one went straight through it, splitting it in half perfectly. Anduin was  _ amazed _ . He has met skilful hunters before but not like this. She looked over to him and chuckled.

 

"This is nothing compared to what the general and some people I've taught can do. Even our High Priestess can do this much and more.", she spoke. He felt like she was just rubbing salt into the wound, but he did understand what she meant. Sentinels were indeed on a different level from the rest. But he didn't know that Tyrande was also skilled with the bow. 

 

"Really? I didn't think that the high priestess was a ranger. I've always thought that she was a healer", Anduin spoke as he aimed with his own bow and shot two arrows quickly one after the other.  _ Ting. Ting.  _ Both hit the mark, but neither was in the perfect center like Jeen'ra's. 

 

"The name is confusing to most, I'd agree. But the title of High Priestess of Elune has nothing to do with priesthood. It's the title of the one who commands the sentinels and the strongest Sentinel among them. Us, sentinels, have sworn to protect the lands of Kalimdor when a lot of our druids went into the Emerald Dream to protect that aspect of Azeroth.", she explained. Anduin nodded in understanding as he tried to better aim for the center or his previous arrows. He didn't even notice her come so he was a bit surprised when he felt her moving his arm and stance. She moved the bow a bit lower, turned his whole body a couple of inches before moving away again. "Try now, prince", she said. 

 

His next two arrows managed to hit closer to the center of the target and he almost had one break the other in half. "Wow, this is much easier than the way the dwarves showed me", he said, a smile growing on his face, causing the elf to chuckle. 

 

"Well, of course. Dwarves have their guns and ale, but they could never even come close when it comes to using a bow. We've been at this for thousands of years, young prince. No one can match us", she spoke proudly and Anduin could tell just from her smiling face alone that she was proud of her people. 

 

He had heard stories of some things that the night elves go through, mostly what is still happening in Ashenvale, but he wanted to know more of their history. "Is there someone whom I can ask about the history of night elves? I'd like to learn more about the races in  _ my _ future alliance", he said looking up at her. He could tell she was surprised, but she just patted his head lovingly. 

 

"Well, I can tell you all about it after our practice here if you don't need to go heal more", she offered and Anduin happily nodded. He couldn't wait. 

 

* * *

 

He heard the short story about the elven troubles. Everything from Queen Azhara summoning the burning legion and the war of the ancients, sundering, dragons, the first of worgen, and all the way to today and Malfurion's awakening. Compared to humans, the Elven history was so long and complicated that he was glad he only got the short story. 

 

It did make him think, comparing humans and elves was unfair in so many ways. Elves didn't give up on their lands and people no matter what they were faced with. Something that couldn't be said for his own people who keep looking for 'the better'. 

 

* * *

 

Boarding the ship on his way back, he had to say goodbye to all the people he grew close to, as well as the wonderfully built structures. He wasn't too excited to return, but he knew he had to. That's how it was with princely duties. You only got such road trips once in awhile and he had already had three in the last year alone. 

 

The moment the ship undocked and headed away from Ruth'eran village, Anduin had this weird feeling inside. It wasn't sea sickness, but more of a  _ something will go wrong _ feeling. He just couldn't shake it. The weather was fine, their ship was fine… But he was unsure what was this feeling, so he went and laid down, hoping rest might help him out some… 

 

* * *

 

His dream brought him atop some tower that he didn’t recognize at all. He could see snow all around and what seemed in the distance to be… He came closer to the edge and he could barely recognize the few towers in the distance that looked like Dalaran, at least from what he had read and heard from Jaina.

 

“Watch your step, we don’t need you falling down, prince”, he almost jumped as he heard the voice behind him. Turning around he saw Katrana standing there, looking as gorgeous as he remembered. He wasn't sure what to say or do. "What? No hugs for your technically step mom? I thought I taught you better, Anduin", there was a part within Anduin that did want to hug her. It was the part that thought she was still his advisor. A human advisor. Not a dragon who took away his father, probably making him more brutish than he was. He didn't even realize that he moved towards her, wrapping his arms around her waist and just… Hugging her. Like a child would hug their mother. 

 

"I missed you so much", was he saying that? It was his voice… Coming from his mouth… 

 

"I missed you, too, sweetheart. Have you been considering my  _ offer _ lately?" he blinked a bit before pulling away, getting control over his body again.

 

“I will not! In no way will I succumb to the void!” he spoke, angrily. After the Twilight Hammer attack on him and his father, he was more sure than ever not to accept the void.

 

“Aww, it hurts me to hear this, darling. Wasn’t I here for you? I mean, the void can let you mind control people… You can  get anything you ever wanted. You wouldn’t need to worry about your dad’s permission, you’d have it at any point you wish to”, okay, Anduin had to say that did interest him. It meant he’d be free to do as he wanted… But how long would that last? Would his father bring him back the very next moment he snaps out of it? “You’re thinking about it…” Anduin felt his chin being tilted upwards as he looked Katrana in the eyes. She had such a piercing look. He could easily tell why so many people fell for her charms in the keep.

 

“I…” Anduin didn’t know what to say. He wanted freedom. He wanted to be able to explore Azeroth as he saw fit. He  _ needed _ it. “I want to learn from you”, he spoke and saw a smirk growing on her face. He knew he might’ve just ruined his future, even worse, ruined the future of the Alliance… But, he could be forgiven, right. It was all for a greater good. If he could mind control his father, tomorrow he could use it in peace conferences… It could make Azeroth safer…

 

“That’s what I like to hear, my dear. Now, don’t be shy… You can still call me _auntie,_ **if** you’d like, of course.”, her voice was seriously like music to his ears. It was the same as when he was down in her lair. Her promises were so sweet. She knew to say exactly what he wanted to hear… Even if this was a dream, Katrana was the same as she was in her last moments that he remembered.

 

“Of course, auntie. What is out first lesson?” he asked as he looked at her for guidance. She stepped away from him before sitting down on the ground and patting a pillow, that Anduin didn’t notice was there, next to her.

 

“Come, sit down, dear.”, Anduin sat down next to her, crossing his legs underneath him. “As you might know, the void is a power of one’s mind, in a way. So right now, we need you to not think of anything and just let the void come to you", Anduin closed his eyes softly as she spoke. She guided his thoughts away and he could soon feel the dark essence filling his mind. It felt powerful and scary. But he wasn't scared. He was there to control it, not the other way around. 

 

It first felt like a mist of sorts, but soon it begun reshaping itself. After around ten minutes of sitting still with his eyes closed, Anduin opened his eyes. They were no longer a soft light blue in color, but have instead taken a purplish gleam which subsided after a bit. "The void… It's powerful.", he spoke as he looked down at his hands. He could no longer feel the warmth of light inside him, but was instead filled with a dark power that he felt was rather hard to control. 

 

"It is, young prince. But trust me, in times of need, you will be glad to have accepted it." She spoke and then reached out and caressed Anduin's cheek gently. Anduin leaned into her hand, enjoying the soft touch. "And one more thing, during your adventure, you might meet a boy, around your age… Be nice to him, please. It might not seem like it at first, but he is gonna be a good pawn to have… Especially if you can talk him into accepting our gift as well" Anduin absentmindedly nodded at that. It was not as if he could recognize who it was about. Plus, who knows when he'd meet that person. Maybe this was some sort of void-arranged marriage, which, if it was, he was against. 

 

"Alright", he said dismissing Katrana's voice as he focused on the power. He wanted to see what he could do. With ease, he managed to summon two tendrils that seemed to be made out of this purply mass. He wasn't quite sure how to describe it. It seemed solid but at the same time somewhat transparent and misty. 

 

"Very nice. Studying the light has surely made you good with controlling the void. Now, remember, when you're attacking others, focus on their mind, not their hearts and bodies. You can't sway a heart but you can sway a mind with this power", Anduin was getting bored of the same thing being repeated to him over and over again each time. He understood it the first time, too. Void attacks the mind. 

 

"Is there anything else you'd need me know, auntie?" he asked as he looked over at her, his eyes slowly returning to their original color. She smiled softly, yet somehow knowingly. 

 

"Watch your step", she spoke as he started getting up. He looked at her confused. Watch his step? Before he had time to ask, he felt the tower starting to shake and suddenly crash as he started slipping off. He tried to grab on to something, but there was nothing. Katrana seemed to have taken her dragon form as she flew and watched him plummet to his death … 

 

* * *

 

He woke up as he hit the floor next to his bed, clutching some of the bed covers. He slowly got up, a bit confused of what had just happened. He could still see Katrana in his mind and hear her voice. "Target the mind not the heart", came from her and he just shook the thought out of his thoughts. 

 

Stepping out onto the deck, he saw that the ship seemed to have sailed into some mist and they crashed. Or, well, just got stuck. 

 

The ship has apparently flown into shallow waters and then got stuck there with the passengers unable to get off. Luckily the only people on the ship were him and the crew. 

 

"Prince, stay inside while we figure this out", he heard the captain command before turning his back to him as he went to yell at other crew members. But… Did Anduin ever listen to what others told him?  _ Not quite _ . The opportunity to try out his powers has come to him, offered on a silver platter no less. 

 

"I think you should let me go exploring. Sitting in the ship is bad for me" he spoke slowly as he concentrated on the captain, his mind to be exact. He saw some purplish mist cloud around his head before it quickly entered. Using void felt so strange and new. But it was a positive strange. A couple seconds passed before the captain turned around and faced him. 

 

"Your majesty, wouldn't you rather take a walk outside than stay on the boat. We will call you when we're ready to depart again", Anduin was actually surprised that it worked. A grin rose on his face before nodding and heading off. He did it. The void might not be all that bad. He made his way to the side of the deck to find a way down. 

 

After looking for a bit, he saw some ropes hanging down the side of the ship and… He climbed down. It was good that he did as the waves seemed to only carry the boat more onto the land. It was obvious they weren't moving from there soon so… He could really go and explore a bit, right? It was a new place, a new chance to meet new people… Maybe even that boy that Onyxia mentioned… He wanted to know what was so special about him. 

 

* * *

 

He was wrong. Well not quite wrong. He met new people, but those were his captors. Captors who ended up being some horde goons and a  _ monkey?  _ And not only Horde goons, but horde goons who didn't even know who he was, which was weird in itself, but they also seemed unfamiliar with this place where they were at. That could only mean that this wasn’t horde territory… So… If this wasn't Horde territory, nor Alliance territory… Where have they all ended up on??? 


	9. Intermission 3 (Wrathion's misfortune)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Since Wrathion will be appearing soon in front of Anduin as he is, let's just check to see what he is doing on his own, away from everyone and everything~

"Tell me again why I shouldn't just kill you right here and now", Wrathion wasn't in the mood to deal with a bronze dragon that came nonchalantly into his current  _ home.  _ He held him pinned against the wall with his hand clutching his throat, while he held a dagger in his other one. The young black dragon had recently made the wonderfully peaceful Pandaria his new home, laying low out of sight from the red, and pretty much all other, dragonflight. Having a bronze one come like this only meant that his hideout was discovered and that he'd have to move  _ again _ . Was it that rogue that turned him in? Couldn't be… Then again, you can never trust a rogue. He'd know, he's been around them for a long time now. 

 

"You're really against the dragonflights, Wrathion… Not even asking for my name, are you?", the elf spoke. It was a blonde blood elf looking humanoid, that Wrathion could easily smell was a dragon. Wrathion kept silent as he just tightened his grip. He was going to kill this man soon unless he starts talking. "Listen, I've seen the future, the burning legion will strike again! Nozdormu doesn't want us messing with anything as he believes that it will all play out the way it should, well… Mortals, as they are now, at war, won't be able to stop it. We need them to unite. For Azeroth's sake", he spoke. Wrathion was silent for a bit. Was what he was telling the truth? Could he trust him? 

 

"How do I know that you're telling the truth? You could be just trying to trick me", Wrathion wasn't giving in. He wasn't planning to return to the red dragonflight. He wasn't gonna let himself be experimented on, again. A long sigh came from the bronze dragon. It was like he wasn't fazed by Wrathion at all, something that only fueled Wrathion's anger. 

 

"Well, I could faze us into the future if you let me down, but last time I hardly came out of there alive, so I would much rather not go there again", he spoke. Wrathion stared him down for a bit before he put his dagger back against his belt and released the elf's neck. "Thank you! Now, if we plan on giving one faction help during this war if theirs, we're actually in luck… And by luck I mean strategically planned.", he talked and wrathion inspected him a bit confused. He had hidden here not only from dragons but also the two factions. Was it smart to come out like this? "The two factions will both be arriving here shortly, meani--", Wrathion snapped out of his thoughts. 

 

"Woah, what do you mean 'arriving here shortly'? As far as I know, and I know a lot, neither alliance nor Horde knows of Pandaria. This is like the one place they have yet to ruin with their dumb wars”, Wrathion spoke angrily. He couldn’t believe that his vacation to Pandaria and peace is soon going to be ruined by meaningless wars.

 

“Well, it just so happened that the ship carrying the young human prince accidentally ended up in these lands, meanwhile, horde sent their fleet here as soon as they realized that. Alliance army will be soon to follow as well. You’d have a maximum of a few months more to relax before you run into them and end up caught up in all of their… fighting”, Wrathion let out a low growl as the blonde spoke. He didn’t like this one bit. Hanging out with pandas was pleasurable. Well, he had his two guards, but everyone else was pandas… Some Jinyu and Hozen here and there as well. He was not planning on giving it up. 

 

"So what am I to do? My dragon form is not as strong as I'd wish it was.", the younger of the two asked. He was really unsure what exactly could this, obviously older, dragon want from him. He, as far as dragons were concerned, was a teenager running away from home… After killing all of his people… They should be thanking him, really. Thanks to him there are no more corrupted black dragons left on Azeroth. Only him, a pure one… 

 

"Well, first of all, hi, my name is Kairoz. Nice to meet you", Wrathion scowled at the introduction, "Second of all, I want you to befriend the human prince. You two should be roughly the same age. It shouldn't be hard", Wrathion stared at him in disbelief. He was to be a playmate for some human twerp? He? The mighty black prince, the only living and uncorrupted black dragon. He had to be kidding. 

 

"No, not in a million years", he denied. That kid was probably a spoiled brat who might even ask for something like… Have Wrathion clean his shoes, or something equally dumb. Like, why clean them when you're gonna dirty them anyway the next day. It's just stupid. There are mud and grass everywhere. 

 

"Wrathion, it's for the better of Azeroth", Wrathion wasn't even listening to Kairoz's pleads. He was not gonna become some mortal's shoe cleaner. Or worse, his cook. He can't cook. He has people who cook for him… Maybe he should just burn his face off. Yeah, then the kid can't ask for anything. "By befriending him, you can talk him into a war with Horde, help him beat the Horde and then the alliance can take Horde forces as their own and be prepared for when the burning legion strikes", Wrathion turned to face him lost. He was finally out of his fantasy world, enough to hear the blonde mention the burning legion. 

 

"What does me cleaning that spoiled stuck up prince's shoes have to do with the burning legion striking?", he asked tilting his head a bit. Kairoz blinked confused before covering his face with his palm with a loud slap sound. Well, now he was just being rude. Maybe Wrathion should really just kill him. 

 

"You weren't listening, were you? Ugh. Do you want to see an older version of him? Maybe that will change your mind", Kairoz offered. Wrathion thought a bit before nodding slowly. He was still not trusting this man completely, but he'd like to meet a future version of this prince. Might even give pointers to the current one about how to be better… Or make fun of him… Yeah, that sounded better. It's what he deserved after making Wrathion into his shoe cleaner. 

 

"Alright, take me to him. But… If you try anything funny or to turn me to the red dragonflight, I will kill you on the spot", he warned and Kairoz gave him the 'Yeah yeah', gesture before beginning to teleported the two of them to the future.

 

\---

 

Wrathion felt weird for a second as they left the tavern and have suddenly found themselves inside the walls of a stone keep. This was his first time traveling by something other than flight. Wrathion looked around a bit, blue and gold banners seemed to decorate the walls as at the far back of the room sat a gold and stone throne, guarded by two golden lions. And on top of the throne, there sat a man. From this far he could tell the man was most likely in his late 20's, he had long blonde hair, tied back in a ponytail. He couldn't quite see his eyes as the man had them closed, either deep in thought or asleep. He was dressed in white, blue and gold, and with his fair skin and blonde hair, he was a complete opposite to Wrathion's dark skin and dark hair. He was a black dragon, after all. The dragons kept their colors throughout their forms after all. 

 

"Are you sleeping on the throne again, young prince? That can't be good for your back, or your image in front of your people. What would Genn say to see you like this?", he heard a deep voice, somewhat like his own but… More grown up? As he looked towards where the voice was coming from, he saw a rather tall, muscular, dark-skinned man walk in. He was wearing robes in a similar style to what Wrathion himself usually wore. 

 

"Stop calling me prince, I'm a king now", he heard a groggy voice from the throne. Looking again over there, he saw the blonde man move, straighten his back a bit. "And don't mention Genn like that… I know you mean well, but others still don't know you that well, Wrathion", Wrathion was confused now even more. He himself was actually friends with the prince in the end? But wasn't the prince a spoiled brat who made him do all his chores and stuff? Why would he befriend someone like that? 

 

"Yeah, yeah, my _king._ You seem tense. Is there anything I can do to help you relax?", Wrathion was growing even more confused at the sudden change in the tone of future him. "Or would you rather I tire you out more, _Anduin?_ ", older Wrathion had now moved, making the _king_ of Stormwind his pillow as he found a loose strand of golden hair and twirled it around his finger, "I'm sure I can get your mind off of things pretty easily". 

 

"It's time we leave now", Kairoz spoke and Wrathion heard himself let out a soft whine. He wanted to know what happens. There was… Something inside him that was making him want to stay and watch. What did he and the tired angelically looking human have in plan? 

 

"... As much as I want to deny you, I might just take you up on that offer.", Wrathion was looking intensely. He could see the two leaning in  _ and _ …  _ Whoosh!  _ They were back in Pandaria. Wrathion blinked, confused. He was  _ so _ not okay with this whole time travel thing. The image of the two older guys leaning in was still etched into his head. What were they gonna do? He wasn't sure, but he felt like he just missed out on something good and most likely  _ important _ . 

 

"Wah? Why are we back? I wanted to see what happens next", Wrathion heard himself whine and then cleared his throat. He didn't whine! He was a strong dragon who roared not whined.

 

“What, did you want to watch your future self helping the king  _ relax _ ?” Kairoz asked, kind of raising his brow as he watched the younger dragon. Wrathion didn’t see anything wrong in that. It wasn’t like he wasn’t used to spying on people, but he wanted to know more about his future, just like anyone else would. “You’re far too young to see what happens next. Maybe when you grow some more I will show you how exactly you relaxed the king”, Wrathion just pouted at that. He was not liking how Kairoz treated him as a child. He was the black dragon aspect now, being the only alive black dragon left there was no questioning who was the next aspect, not a mere child. 

 

“Whatever. So, what’s the plan? I go, find the kid and befriend him or whatever?”, Wrathion asks, feigning ignorance. Honestly, it’s hard pretending he didn’t want to know what happens next. The two adults seemed rather close. It was eating at him. 

 

“Well, not quite. Most of the events we don’t need to be a part of. You can… Go spy on him if you see fit, but don’t, and I repeat,  _ do not _ get involved. He will come to you in the end. All you have to do is sit and wait. Once he comes, turn on some charm, give him a smile or two and befriend him. As far as I know, he has never had friends so, befriending him should be easy”, Kairoz spoke and Wrathion just looked at him confused. 

 

“Wait, so you come now, tell me all of this… And then tell me that I’m not to do anything until he comes here himself? Couldn’t you have come and done this like, let’s say, a week before he is to come and not like… months before it?”, Wrathion asked, crossing his arms over his chest. Now he felt like he was being played again.

 

“... I had to tell you now because I have another  _ project _ I have to do here. And that one's with other bronze dragons. We will meet there as well. But that comes even later", he explained and Wrathion just rolled his eyes. He really wasn't a fan of this 'sit and wait' plan. He wanted something to do… Well, he might take this time to work on his charms. He will need to befriend someone… That wasn't his strong feat, that's for sure. 

 

"So… Roughly how long do I have before I have a prince to entertain?", he asked. He needed to make sure so that he can plan his preparation correctly. 

 

"Hmm… Let's see… About a month, I'd say." Wrathion nodded absentmindedly before making a shoo-shoo motion with his hand. 

 

"Go now. I have a lot to prepare", Wrathion ordered. Kairoz gave him one last look before stepping out and then teleporting away with ease. Wrathion watched him disappear before letting out a sigh. He wondered what the prince would be like. The king was a tired and boring-looking man, despite looking quite nice. 

 

"Oh, one last thing", Wrathion almost jumped as the elf appeared back in his room, "The kid's real dad isn't Varian Wrynn. It's actually Arthas Menethil, yes, the previous Lich King, pretty funny, I know. Use that information as you see fit. Bye now", and with that the elf was gone again, leaving Wrathion to sit there and clutch at his chest to calm down.  _ Now _ , the bronze dragon was certainly on his  _ to kill _ list. 

 

\---

 

_ Knock knock.  _ Knocking on the door snapped him out of his thoughts as he dusted his clothes a bit and calmed his breathing before turning to look at who's bothering him. It was Left, one of his two loyal guards. 

 

"Sir, it's about time for you to bath. Should we ask the mon-- Hozen to leave the hot springs?" the orcish female asked. Wrathion was silent and then gave a slight nod. 

 

"Yes. I will soak in my dragon form. I'd like to connect with the earth, and I dislike others being around when I'm like that", as he finished speaking, Left gave a small bow and then headed out. 

 

Wrathion changed out of his outfit into a simple robe, easy to take off and put on, before heading to the hot springs himself. Arriving there, he noticed it was empty, so he smiled to himself, stripped and changed his form before flying down to the water. 

 

The warm water felt amazing in his humanoid form, but in his dragon form, it was even better. The way it trickled between his scales was relaxing, and the heat itself was something he craved. He wasn't sure if that was cause he was a dragon or a  _ black _ dragon, but the heat was the best thing ever. He knew that his grandfather, Deathwing, spent a long time underneath the earth with the iron dwarves close to the magma itself… He didn't want to think that  _ that _ was the reason why he enjoyed it. 

 

Since his hatching, he made sure to rid himself of anything and everything connected to Deathwing and his corrupted flight. For a while, he had thought of returning to the other aspects and joining them, but every time those thoughts clouded his mind, he'd remember the torture they put his mother through, put  _ him  _ through. He wasn't gonna let them have that again. He wasn't their toy. He was a pure black dragon, one of a kind, uncorrupted. They should fear him. And one day, they will. He was determined to make that happen. 

 

\---


	10. The Quest For The Vale

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Oh, oof, this took a while... I forget how much stuff Anduin goes through during Pandaria... But hey, Wrathion appeared, kinda. They should _hopefully_ have their actual meeting 2-3 chapters from now. Cause Anduin just _has_ to play the hero

Getting off the boat and stepping on this new ground, Anduin was excited. This was, as far as he knew, uncharted lands. Something he had to scale alone without any help from anyone. Just him, the light, and  _ the void.  _

 

He had had quite a luck at first. He actually managed to go through two-three days on his own, surviving in this green and lush forest. But then… During one of his campfire breaks, he ran into people he wasn't quite expecting.  _ Horde _ . First, he was approached by an undead,  _ he could tell by the rotten smell _ , female. 

 

"Don't move, human. I've got you cornered!", she exclaimed in her raspy, almost screeching voice. It made Anduin wonder how the Horde even let these vile creatures into their ranks. He had kept contact with Baine, a Tauren leader, has heard good thing about Thrall, orcish leader, well the first and original Horde leader as well, even the stories about Vol'jin and lord Lor'themar were positive… But the undead… He just found it hard to keep his lunch from coming back almost every time he saw one. 

 

“How exactly do you have me cornered, undead?”, The prince looked at the disgusting mess with an eyebrow raised. One undead he could probably deal with. After all, he got pretty good with his mind control spell, so he was sure he could take care of her to leave him be and he didn’t notice any other horde goons around.

 

“I’ve got back up, watch this”, Anduin watched as the undead threw some sort of a smoke bomb at a nearby animal and seconds later the poor animal fell down dead as if it was shot by something, most likely some form of a gun. Anduin gulped at the sight. Okay, he was a bit scared now.

 

“I… I see”, he said, out of words now. He might have taken a bigger bite than he hoped for. Maybe he shouldn’t have just left the ship like that… With those few days away he was pretty far away from the ship that his people might not hear him scream.

 

“You’re lucky I don’t kill you right now..you look delicious”, the undead speaks and Anduin can hear a slurping noise, making him pull himself back a bit more. He didn’t like this. He didn’t like this one bit. The undead then came closer to him and tied his hands together before starting to pull him along the way. He swallowed his saliva again as he followed. He had no idea where he was going or what will happen to him now… 

He just knew he had made some very  _ very  _ bad life choices.

 

He and the undead met up with an orc and a monkey, a creature he has yet to see together with the horde. Together all four of them started heading off. He wasn’t quite sure which direction it was cause he couldn’t understand what they were speaking. He knew this was orcish, but he had never had time to learn it so it was just a bunch of guttural sounds to him. At least the undead had the courtesy to speak Common with him.

 

They stopped after a bit as the orc female grumbled something in orcish. Anduin followed her gaze and noticed the Alliance bomber. His eyes went wide. Well, of course, the people on the ship probably noticed that he was gone and contacted his father to send backup… But is there enough people near that bomber? A bomber ca usually carry one, maybe two people at max.

 

The undead responded in orcish before fading into the shadows and going ahead. Anduin thought of yelling, calling out to his people, but with the orc and monkey so close, he knew he’d be shut up as soon as he opens his mouth, so he didn’t dare speak.

 

The orc then seemed to beckon the monkey about something only to receive his immediate, seemingly angered response. He didn’t even try to keep his voice down as he spoke, it almost made Anduin wonder what kind of relationship there was between the orc and the monkey. The orc, of course, didn’t seem fazed at all. The woman was probably used too much more than an angry monkey back in Orgrimmar. Noticing that his words weren’t doing anything to the orc, the monkey just ran off after the undead and Anduin was left with the orc in silence, listening to the birds in the trees and the occasional roar 

 

After some time, there were noises of fighting coming from the bomber ad Anduin could see some… fish people? Well, whatever they were, they seemed to be fighting together with the alliance soldiers against the monkey. The fighting subsided after a bit and then… A scream, as far as he could tell, it was from that monkey, broke through the air and then… silence again. The orc lady pulled him towards the bomber where they met up with the undead who was just fixing her mask. She asked her something to which the undead shrugged, her bones creaking and then they kept heading on. The orc and I climbed on top of a hill where she seemed to set up a camp and then before I could even see what was going on…

 

Everything went **dark**.

 

* * *

 

When he came to, he was being carried by the orc over her shoulder and, as he could tell by the smell and looks of it, they were entering some form of a horde base. There, they set him down and guarded him as they seemed to be waiting for their general to come. Looking around, Anduin could tell that escaping would be hard, but he might get the chance if he just has enough luck.

 

After what seemed like forever of waiting, an older looking, well-built orc came, speaking orcish. Anduin caught his gaze and after a bit, the orc was a bit confused before speaking common, a language he was obviously not used to too much.

 

“Wait, I know your face, human. You are the son of Varian Wrynn!”, he exclaimed. Anduin felt a soft wave of relief wash over him. Maybe this man was open to negotiations, or well, would just release him.

 

“Sir, I demand to be released to my father’s custody!”, he spoke, keeping up a serious face and a firm attitude. He knew that he shouldn’t show a weak side in front of the orcs. They were brutal creatures and as the prince and future king of Stormwind, he had to show that he wasn’t weak. His words only seemed to make the orc laugh though.

 

“Hah! Make another demand, princeling, and I’ll release your head from your shoulders!”, he threatened, before walking a few steps away, “Anduin Wrynn,...”, it was the only thing he understood as the orc switched back to his maternal tongue. Anduin softly clicked his tongue as he was now getting a bit mad. He needed to escape, but that was hard with this many people around him.

 

* * *

 

With a little bit of concentration, while most others had their backs turned to him, he used the mind control technique he learned on the monkey and got him to release him. With that, he managed to slowly sneak away and once he was sure he was far enough, he gave into a run. 

 

For a bit he thought that he had actually escaped them, he slowed his run as he tried catching his breath a bit. But almost as soon as he began walking, he heard the rustling of leaves… Only seconds later two monkeys jumped out at him. He cursed under his breath as he began running from them again. He wasn't planning on getting caught again. 

 

As he reached some sort of platform, he noticed two more monkeys join them as they began closing upon him. He used smite on one, but he could easily tell that that wasn’t gonna be enough. He was starting to get scared... But then, there was a whisper in his ear: "Scream". He wasn't sure who it was, but he felt like he could trust them. He wasn’t gonna lose like this. “I am Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind. I won’t die here. Not like  _ this _ !” he exclaimed and as he opened his mouth to scream, he felt a surge of void energy blast out together with his voice. The three remaining Hozen that seemed to follow him started running away from him. It gave him enough time to escape. He headed up some hill, hoping to find refuge there. He noticed the pandas and was a bit confused. He quickly cast Power 

Word: Shield on himself as he turned to check for hozen and had to back away seeing the three approaching. Now he was scared. he wasn’t sure what to do and then, one of the pandas jumped in and just kicked one of the monkeys straight out into the sunset. He felt relieved seeing the pandas wanting to help him out. 

 

* * *

 

The fight didn't last long with the help of two very skilled pandas. The only thing that confused him was their fighting style. It was unlike anything he's seen in his life. They seemed to use their fists and feet as weapons. So unlike any warriors, rogues, or even priests.

 

Now that he wasn't under any immediate threat, he could easily inspect them further. One was bigger and seemingly more masculine and older, while the other was much shorter and had feminine curves. They certainly seemed humanoid and looked just as confused and intrigued as he was.

 

"U-um hello. My name is Anduin… Do you speak Common?", the prince spoke. There was a minute of silence and Anduin was slowly losing hope in them responding. 

 

"Hello, young one, I'm Lina, and this is my father Ren Whitepaw. May we know, how did you find yourself here?", hearing them speak Common had the prince sighing in relief. Finally, someone he could understand. 

 

"Yes, well, my ship seemed to have crashed here so I thought of going out and exploring. I must say, your lands look quite exquisite", Anduin spoke and the pandas themselves seemed to smile. He could at least relax a little bit. The pandas looked at each other before the female spoke again. 

 

"We haven't seen one of your kind here in years. You're certainly a surprise to us", she spoke. Anduin nodded his head as he listened. He was quite surprised that they even knew of humans, seeing how he hadn't as much as heard of their kind before.

 

" Can you tell me about this place? I would really like to learn", Anduin asked and the female panda nodded. He had hoped that this was a start to a wonderful friendship.

 

* * *

 

In the next couple of days, Anduin noticed that Ren was falling sick. He seemed feverish. He tried calling on to the light, but it didn't help the old Pandaren. Lina mentioned there being healing waters in the cave close by but at the same time, there has been an increase in the number of restless spirits. Anduin wasn't sure what to do. He couldn't take them on himself…

 

As an answer to his prayers, he saw a dragon land next to him. He bit his lip as he prepared to attack, but then he saw who was on it. The draenei female who took him to Exodar not long ago was there. Wait… How did she find him?

 

"There you are, Prince Anduin. I've looked all over for you", Tyonna spoke, stretching her limbs from the ride as she pets the dragon before sending him flying off.

 

"How did you find me?", Anduin asked as his body relaxed now that there was no immediate threat.

 

"Well, I had to go through a series of tasks for Lorewalker Cho, a very interesting panda guy. In the end, I saw a vision of you. You were running from some Hozen", Tyonna began explaining and Anduin nodded. He remembered the monkeys, or technically Hozen, that chased him not long ago. "Seeing you run up here, I had to come so that I can take you back home", then draenei spoke and Anduin could feel himself want to whine, but he knew he couldn't. He was the future king, after all.

 

"Remarkable! That's exactly what happened several days ago. We've been laying low since then", Anduin said, "I appreciate you coming all this way to save me, but Ren is gravely injured. The old Pandaren had no reason to help me, yet still, he risked his life to save my own. Before the fever set in, he mentioned that there are healing waters in the cave just down the hill. It is dangerous, but I will do anything to help my friend. Will you help me retrieve the waters?". Anduin had to ask. He couldn't just let Ren die like this. The man had helped him before, it was time to return the favor.

 

Tyonna was silent for a bit and Anduin could feel himself frowning. Was she gonna be that heartless? After a few  _ long  _ minutes, he heard the female sigh. "But, after that, we are leaving", she said and Anduin smiled widely. He was so glad he'd get to help out his friend.

 

"Excuse me, hunter", Lina spoke, a hopeful look in her eyes, "My father has dedicated his life to studying the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. The Vale is a mythical place, sealed after the Pandaren revolution twelve thousand years ago. We know so little about it! My father followed a trail of clues to the cave down the hill, seeking a very old poem known as the Song of the Vale, but he is in no condition to retrieve it. It is guarded by some sort of ancestor spirit. If you are heading that way anyway, would you mind bringing it back to him?", Anduin could see Tyonna sigh as she agreed to that, as well as Ren's request to cleanse some spirits below.

 

With all that, the two of them, the prince and the champion, headed down to get the waters, get the scroll and cleanse some spirits.

 

It didn't take them long, the hunter was quite skilled and so was her leopard pet. Loqui, as she called him, was such a powerful beast, Anduin was sure she'd never exchange him for anyone else.

 

"Prince Anduin, it is time to go home", Tyonna spoke as she handed over the waters as well as the scroll to the two pandas. Anduin didn't like how determined she was about getting him home.

 

"I am sorry, but I cannot go back just yet.", he spoke, frowning a bit. He always thought that the champion was on his side. "I've decided to search for the Vale. I must find the Sacred Pools and study their healing powers", 

 

Almost as if on cue, a dwarf and a human, whom he recognized as SI:7 agents, walked up to the platform. “Prince Anduin, we’ve come to take ye home”, the dwarf spoke sternly. Tyonna couldn’t say anything against it and Anduin knew that. He had no other choice. “Come quietly, now.”, it was easy for Anduin to tell that the dwarf wasn’t taking no for an answer that easily… But they didn’t know that he had a trick up his sleeve. 

 

“I’m sorry, but I won’t. I’m sure you understand my reasons.”, as he spoke, he began casting his secret trick, mind control, on the dwarf. It took only a few seconds before it worked out just fine.

 

“Eh? Oh… uh... you’re absolutely right, Prince Anduin. You are free to go as you please”, the dwarf spoke just like Anduin willed him to. Anduin noticed the confusion on both the champion’s and the human’s face, but he didn’t mind it. He had to get what he wanted and this was his only way how. 

 

“Come on, let’s go”, Anduin said to the Whitepaws as all three of them started running off, leaving the alliance trio there confused.

 

“Sully! How could you just let him go?”, he heard a female voice behind him, but he couldn’t think about it right now. He had a vale to find.

 

* * *

 

On his quest to find the vale, he had found out that it was closed by  _ The August Celestials _ . He couldn’t learn much on those, sadly, only that each of them has their own temple and that each guides one side of Pandaria. Be it North, guarded by the Xu’en, East, guarded by Yu’lon, South, guarded by Chi-Ji, and West, guarded by Niuzao. Out of all four, two were supposedly healer based, out of which Chi-Ji, at least to Anduin, seemed to be more alike to what his kind of healing was. After all, the red crane was the spirit of Hope, while the jade serpent was the spirit of wisdom. 

 

With that in mind, he set on his way to find the temple of Chi-Ji. The Whitepaws helped take him there, but that was when they parted ways. After arriving at the Chi-Ji temple, Anduin was first stopped by a big red Pandaren male.

 

“What do you want from the Red Crane, human?”, he asked. He seemed much more serious than the SI:7 and, unlike them, Anduin could tell that simple mind tricks wouldn’t work on him. He decided to stand his ground. After all, he had things he wanted to find. Things he wanted to study.

 

“I am Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwin-”, he begun but was quickly cut off by the Pandaren.

 

“We know who you are young prince, I asked  _ what _ do you want”, the Pandaren didn’t seem quite friendly. This might be difficult for the prince.

 

“I have come to ask of help and guidance from the Spirit of Hope. I wish to study the healing waters of the Vale of Eternal Blossoms. I hav-”, the Pandaren cut him off again. Anduin was starting to get annoyed by this. He was a prince and he was not going to be cut off like this.

 

“The Vale has been closed off for years now. No one but the celestials themselves has access to it. And that’s how it’s staying”, the man was really not budging at all.

 

“I understand that, but if you would give me just a minute with the red--”, Anduin could see the panda about to cut him off again, so he made his voice louder by an octave, “ _ crane _ . I would like tutilage under him if the vale is already inaccessible. I have studied the way of the light. I have healed many during my short time as a priest. If the celestial would give me a chance, I’m sure I can be of help to people here the same way I was of help back on both The Azuremyst Isle, as well as on Darkshore. I just want a  _ chance _ . Please”, Anduin’s voice went from a stern, serious voice into but a plead. He wasn’t sure how to treat this man. He was afraid that being too forward and too rough might end him the opposite of what he wanted. The man was silent for a bit and Anduin was seriously starting to lose hope. Was he going to be turned down before he even got a chance to speak to the celestial?

 

“You have one question you can ask the crane. Head downstairs and he will appear soon enough.”, the panda said, moving to the side. Anduin’s eyes widened in surprise before he nodded erratically and headed down. He was way too excited now. He couldn’t wait to meet the celestial. There was so much he wanted to ask him, to hear from him…

 

He reached the bottom floor where a statue of the Red Crane stood. Under it, his name and title were written in Ruby gems forming letters. Anduin couldn’t help but be amazed by the fine jewel crafting. The letters were so slick and smooth. Not a single cut was done badly. Only the finest for the celestials, he guessed.

 

“What is it that you needed to ask me, young human prince?”, came the voice from behind him. He turned around, surprised to see the giant crane. It had a big red crest on its head and a bunch of red feathers adorning its wings and tail. It sauntered gracefully down the staircase and towards him, before stopping at a halt in front of him, extending his head as he lowered his head lower to match the prince’s height.

 

“Ah yes, hello, oh great one”, Anduin spoke, bowing down, trying not to hit the crane. He was feeling so nervous now in front of the celestial. He wasn’t sure what to say or do. There was so much he wanted to say, to ask… “How are you today?”, he asked. Then he realized, he was allowed one question… Did he just blow it on this? The red crane watched him confused before starting to burst out in laughter. He must have found it funny that a lowly human prince just came here and wasted his one question just to ask one of the four most powerful creatures of Pandaria how they’re doing today. Stupid, stupid,  _ stupid. _ Ah, he might just leave right now.

 

“I’m feeling quite well now. You’re the first mortal who’s asked me this. And here I thought you’d ask me to train under me or have me open the vale for you”, Anduin felt like the crane was mocking him, but at the same time, he felt his cheeks heating up. He really did want to ask all those of the celestial, but at the spur of the moment, he just asked him a stupid question.

 

“I… The truth is, I did want to ask to become one of your students, but I guess I’ve blown my chances on that one question... “, Anduin spoke sheepishly. It felt so bad admitting this, but at the same time, there was nothing he could do at this point. It was either admit his mistake and hope he can try later again, or be a brute… And he was sure the former would actually bring him a better chance than the latter.

 

“Hmm, well, since you made me laugh the way no one ever did, I’ll allow you to study under me. But, be sure to pay attention. I am a strict teacher”, the crane spoke and Anduin’s eyes widened as he was left speechless. He was actually being given a chance. He couldn’t believe his ears.  

 

“Y-Yes, of course. I will make you proud!”, Anduin spoke, excitedly. He couldn’t believe he was getting his chance. The crane pulled his head back before heading up the stairs as Anduin followed right behind him. 

 

“Come, young one, we need to begin your training.”, the crane spoke as both of them made their way to the specialized rooms of the temple.

 

* * *

 

Their training lasted for a couple of days before the temple got attacked by a bunch of these shadowy creatures that Anduin hasn’t seen before. They seemed to attack people as they are and… Make them crazy? This was a new thing for him. He could tell they were of void origin as they attacked the mind and not the body or heart, but still, it was new. There was nothing quite like this in either Eastern Kingdoms or Kalimdor.

 

“Sha…”, he heard his master’s voice, “We need to get away from here with everyone who’s not attacked! Now!’, his voice echoed through the temple and around it as people seemed to quickly pick up their stuff as they quickly headed north, most managing to dodge the creatures, some still falling victim to them.

 

The group of monks and Anduin headed north, far from the temple, where they formed Crane Wing Refuge. There Anduin worked with some other monks to help heal the weaker ones, but he was still worried about the monks left at the temple. He didn’t know what to do about it. And not only that but some refugees have been bitten by some snakes in the lake, causing them to have some sickness that the others called  _ the murksweats _ . It was all just one problem after another. He was really hoping the champion was here.

 

“So this is where you were hiding, prince”, he immediately jumped at the sound as he saw a female night elf landing. He immediately recognized the face of Peryl, a night elven druid whom he helped in the Darkshore. She was one of the best healers there was, but she knew to strike hard at her enemies as well. And judging by her armor right now, she was dressed to kill, not heal.

 

“Peryl, ah, I’m glad to see you. Take a good look. The river nearby is swarming with these snakes. Their venom causes a condition the locals call  _ the murksweats _ . Several refugees were bitten as they fled the temple and have already begun to show symptoms: nausea, vomiting, and intense sweating as the body rejects all fluids, causing dehydration and potentially death. We are administering anti-venom as quickly as possible, but we'll need more venom glands. Don't bother removing the glands yourself - just bring back the whole head… Please”, Anduin asked as he looked hopefully at the druid. He really needed help with this thing right now. Hopefully, Peryl is free enough to help with this. The druid smiled softly at the boy and nodded before heading towards the water’s edge.

 

“But don’t run away while I’m down there, got it?”, she asked as she got down on all fours, her form changing into that of a wildcat. She ran quickly towards the water before jumping in. Anduin watched her go, amazed by her shapeshifting before he snapped back to working on the glands he had already. There was so much to do and yet so little time.

 

The druid returned after some time, handing Anduin six fresh snake heads. “Thank you, druid. I knew you'd be hardy enough to handle it. Judging by the sounds coming out of these refugees, I would not wish the murksweats on my worst enemy.”, Anduin spoke as he accepted the snakeheads and begun working on it.

 

“Is there anything else you need of me, prince, or will you return with me?”, she asked, leaning against the side of a building Anduin was working in front of. The blonde prince thought a bit before nodded, not taking his eyes off the heads as he carefully cut the glands out of the snake’s mouth and set them aside.

 

“The sha have the mysterious ability to evoke powerful, often overwhelming, emotional responses in their victims. As we fled the temple, senior members of the Crane Wing order stayed behind to cover our escape. They are no doubt being subjected to intense emotional trauma, and I fear they are not all strong enough to resist falling into despair. Peryl, we have to show them there is still hope! Show them that despair  _ can _ be defeated!” Anduin spoke as he rose his head from the glands and looked up at the night elf. He really wished he himself could help, but he knew that he was of greater help here, healing everyone. The druid was silent for a bit before sighing as she stretched her body a bit.

 

“Yeah, yeah. And I’m guessing by the time I’m done you’ll be gone off elsewhere? Just… Take care of yourself. I don’t want to be the one apologizing to your father about not being able to keep you alive”, and with those words, she morphed her body into a bird. With a few swift flaps of her wings, she was off and away. Anduin watched after her for a bit before getting back to removing the glands.

 

* * *

 

With how things went with the sha in Krasarang Wilds, Anduin was more certain than ever that he needs to get to the vale. He wanted to be able to help many more people, and if those pools were as powerful as the people spoke of them, he might be able to use them to help heal the planet itself.

 

With the gate to the vale being to the south of Kun-Lai Word, he decided to meet with Xu’en and ask permission to enter the vale from him. He had hoped that Xu'en is just as understanding as Chi-ji was, after all, both were powerful celestials.

 

Entering the temple, Anduin was first met with a lot of monks going on about their training, something he noticed they did every day in the crane's temple as well. He tried copying them, but it was truly hard for him.

 

As he entered the main abode of the temple, he was welcomed with an interesting sight. A gigantic white tiger was standing at the far back of the temple, in front of him was a Tauren and a Pandaren. They seemed to be in a heated argument about something.

 

Stepping in, Anduin wanted to start speaking himself but was beaten to it by the tiger. "Well, we seem to have more than one visitor from beyond the mist. And what is your name, young cub?", the tiger's voice was soft as he spoke.

 

"I am Anduin Wrynn, Prince of Stormwind and the future ruler of the Alliance. I have come to humbly ask of you, oh great one, to open the doors to the vale. I think that, after studying the healing waters of it, I could help heal many more, even the planet itself.", Anduin spoke. He learned from the red crane to stand his ground. Even if he wasn't a strong fighter, he was a healer, and healers were needed just as much as fighters were, even more than them. 

 

"See, what did I say! Soon they'll keep coming one by one and our lands will be festered with their kind", the Pandaren was not having it. He really seemed against allowing them entry.

 

"I'm sorry, I cannot allow you entrance to the vale. The way I've seen your  _ horde _ and  _ alliance _ fight… this is not something that we would want near our most sacred land. You are simply not worthy. If you can find someone whom you wish to champion your cause, I'd be sure to put him to my test and see the results", Anduin frowned hearing the tiger's words. Which champion could he summon to help with this? He wasn't sure...

 

"Prince… Couldn't you make tracking you down any easier?", he turned around as Peryl just walked into the temple.  _ Of course!  _ Who better to speak of peace than a druid. 

 

"Druid, I'm glad you're here! The Pandaren tell of a legendary place, the  _ Vale of Eternal Blossoms _ . It's a place of great healing if the locals are to be believed. Between the destruction of the Cataclysm and the horrors of this light-forsaken war, the Vale may be our best hope for healing the wounds of the world. We need to get in there!" Anduin almost begged as he spoke. The night elf looked about and sighed." Nobody is allowed into the Vale without the approval of the August Celestials. Xuen, The White Tiger, appears ready to listen to me. But Taran Zhu of the Shado-Pan is reluctant to let the Alliance or Horde anywhere  _ near _ the valley after what happened in the Jade Forest." Anduin shook his head as he spoke, "Maybe you can help me make my case. Speak to the White Tiger on our behalf. Be careful! He may set a number of challenges before you…".

 

" Don't worry, I'm always ready for a challenge.", The druid spoke before approaching the white tiger.

 

"Ah, another stranger from beyond the mists.', the tiger spoke and Anduin could feel his stomach sinking in. He didn't want to doubt the champion, but it was tense. 

 

* * *

 

The champion went through 3 tests, against a Sha of violence, anger, and hatred. In between the fights, Anduin had tried his best to explain why those emotions exist in every single one of us and how we're trying to better ourselves. After the third win of the champion, the tiger decided to change his decision.

 

"Well, this one has indeed proven mastery over anger. Between the young cub's words and the actions of this hero, I think I understand. Those from beyond the mists are hardened by battle. They are scarred, yes, but they have learned much. I trust them.", the tiger spoke and Anduin couldn't have felt more proud of both himself and Peryl. The druid was now standing next to him, gently patting his shoulder. But, there was someone who wasn't celebrating this.

 

"You are making a terrible mistake!", the Pandaren spoke as he headed out. Anduin watched after him for a moment and that was when he noticed someone else. Next to the door, dressed in the type of wear he hasn't seen anywhere, was a young human. He looked about Anduin's age. For a second he could've sworn that the dark-skinned male was checking him out. He saw him smirk and without even a single word, he stepped out. Watching him, Anduin almost missed was the white tiger was saying.

 

" It is decided. I will open the gates. The Vale of Eternal Blossoms will be open for all. ", Xu'en spoke his final decision. Anduin kneeled in respect, the way he was taught by the red crane.

"Thank you, Master White Tiger. You will see. I believe that my people - and the Horde - are essentially good.", Anduin was trying his hardest not to think about the mysterious dark-skinned man he saw. He couldn't get distracted. Not now when he was  _ so close _ to entering the vale.

"I will consult the other celestials. Meet me at the gates.", with those words, the other walked out and seemed to almost disappear into the sky. Anduin heard a deep chuckle and for a second, he thought it might've been his mystery man… turned out, it was only the Sunwalker Dezco.

"I find your faith inspiring, little one. But I wonder  if you have ever met our warchief?", with only those few words, the sunwalker headed out himself. Anduin himself was silent for a bit before feeling someone push him from the back.

 

"Come on, prince, we wouldn't want to miss the show, would we?", the druid spoke. Anduin gave a soft nod as he headed out himself, his mind filled with the mysterious stranger.

 


	11. There's No Harmony in Destruction

Arriving at the gate, Anduin had one last short conversation with Peryl, before they both stood back as they saw the four celestials approaching. 

 

With a few encouraging words from the jade serpent to the people, Xu'en let out a loud, empowering roar as the crane and ox stood on either side of the gate. Slowly, the gate opened, revealing an entrance into one of the most beautiful vales Anduin has ever seen in his life. He was speechless. It was so beautiful beyond the door that he could hardly believe what he was seeing.

 

Exploring the vale, Anduin made his way to the Shrine of Seven Stars. It was a nice little place, tucked safely on the southeastern part of the vale. It was filled with plenty of welcoming Pandaren who soon helped the alliance forces set up portals to all the needed cities. With this, it had become a proper base of operations for the alliance.

 

* * *

 

He had a couple of days of peace which he used to ask around about the pools and even visit some to try and feel their healing power and maybe even find some way to use it. Sadly, he didn't get far as he got news from his father. Apparently, the king of Stormwind had arrived in Pandaria himself. It didn't seem like he wanted to take him home  _ just yet _ . Instead, he was asked to go to Dalaran to speak with Jaina… A feat he wasn't expecting. 

 

His father wanted to have him ask lady Jaina to, in the words of the messenger,  _ rid Kirin Tor of Horde scum _ . Why? He knew that his father only saw the ugly side of the horde, but this all sounded as too much to him… As far as he knew, the blood elves of Dalaran didn't do anything wrong. Well, he could try? If Jaina denies him, he could at least lie and say how he tried… 

 

With a sigh on his lips, he made his way back to the shrine on his griffin before heading towards the portal room and going to Dalaran. 

 

As he found himself in the floating city filled with different mages he realized something… He has never before visited Dalaran. Looking around, everything seemed so smooth and magical. He took a couple of steps as he looked around interested. He was forgetting his initial reason for coming here if it wasn't for…

 

"Anduin? Oh my God, I'm glad you're okay!" he heard Jaina's voice and soon enough had her arms wrapped tightly around him.

 

"Hey, auntie… I'm fine. But what happened to you?" Looking over her, he noticed the archmage had really changed. Her hair seemed to have gone completely white, except one blonde streak. Her face as well seemed rather troubled and worn out… 

 

"Ah, a lot has happened, young prince… But, I take it you're not really here just for chit-chat. What troubles you?", she spoke as she gently stroked his hair and headed with him to the purple parlor. 

 

"You're right, like always, Auntie. Actually, my father's men asked me to come to talk to you. It's about the Horde and having Kirin Tor rid itself from the sunreavers." Jaina stopped I'm her step as she listened to his words. Anduin could tell that it won't be easy talking her into it just cause he's her favorite nephew, kinda. 

 

"You speak of something impossible, Anduin. You, yourself should know that I will not stand for that. Kirin Tor has been and always will be a neutral power, above all the meaningless faction wars. I'm sorry, Anduin, but you should just return and tell your father that Kirin Tor officially declines his offer." she spoke sternly. Anduin couldn't help but bite his lip.

 

"My father isn't asking you to pledge the Kirin Tor to the Alliance-", Anduin tried speaking, but she cut him off.

 

"Anduin, I know exactly what he's asking. Oh - look who's arrived.", as she spoke, Anduin turned and saw Peryl walking up towards the two of them.

 

"Varian sent you as well? I'm outnumbered in my own city!", Jaina began with a long sigh before her eyes flashed mischievously, "Let's go about this a different way. Put yourself in my shoes. Imagine that  _ you _ are the leader of the Kirin Tor, Peryl. What would  _ you _ do?". Anduin was pulled back by this question. He didn't expect this from her. The druid seemed to be considering her possibilities before answering.

 

"I would struggle to maintain our neutrality, my lady", the druid spoke. Anduin could see a look of approval in Jaina's eyes before she continued.

 

"Ah! A very bold decision in times like these. Your honesty is refreshing! Tell me, leader of the Kirin Tor, what if the Horde killed your friends? Your family? Destroyed everything you had. Could you maintain your convictions even then, Archmage Peryl?", Anduin could feel the strength of those words. He could tell Jaina was speaking from personal experiences but… Just what happened? Once he was done with Pandaria, he was determined to discuss this with her. He was sure she needed it.

 

The druid seemed to be deep in thought as well. After all, it wasn't an easy question. "I'm… I'm not sure I could.", she spoke up after a bit. Jaina seemed to have smiled at this.

 

"A kindred soul! Thank you, Peryl, for your honesty. You seem to understand my struggle. Every day, the decisions. Every night... the nightmares. But I have a responsibility to preserve the Kirin Tor. I'm glad you're with me on this. The King would never see it this way. Do you think we can explain it to Anduin?", Jaina sounded so sad… So troubled. Anduin would give anything to see her happy. He couldn't force this against her will.

 

Jaina took a breath before she began her story. It started with her hate for Garrosh and how after the aftermath of Theramore she wanted nothing more than to murder every orc, man, woman, child, it didn't matter. But, with the help of Kalecgos, she managed to ignore her feelings and put them aside for a better future. She then spoke of Kel'Thuzad and of Kael'thas, two of Dalaran's strongest mages, who turned evil and cost millions of people their lives. Still, after all its ups and downs, Dalaran still has mages from all around Azeroth, both Horde, and Alliance, all under the same violet banner protecting the same cause.

 

"I see our city as a beacon of light, showing the way. If we can trust one another here, then there's hope for the rest of the world", she said as her finishing statement.

 

"I understand. I'll talk to my father.", Anduin who was silent till then spoke. He could understand what she was saying. At times like these, there needed to be someone who could be the safe sanctuary.

 

"Thank you, Anduin." Jaina smiled softly and then wrapped her arms around the young prince. He could tell that she needed it.

 

* * *

 

After returning from the magic city to the vale in Pandaria, Anduin had returned to studying the healing pools, but he just couldn't shake off the feeling of being watched. After being on edge the whole day and noticing that there was no immediate threat, he relaxed somewhat. He supposed it was just SI:7 watching him again. 

 

A few more days passed before he was to help his father host a meeting for the Alliance leaders in the Shrine of Seven Stars. It was to show everyone the power of Sha and decide what to do with it, especially taking into account that Garrosh is planning on using it as a weapon against them.

 

After some discussion, and Anduin explaining to his father just how dangerous it will be, Varian decided on Anduin's idea to not use the sha as a weapon.

 

* * *

 

But problems don't just end so lightly for the Alliance, ever. With some good pointers and a lot of luck, the Alliance had succeeded in acquiring the Divine Bell, an ancient mogu artifact that could control the sha. They stored it away in Darnassus, as the purest of all cities, and Jaina herself even helped up the magical barriers surrounding the city just to give it that much more protection.

 

But all that turned out to be a complete waste of time. Garrosh used the Sunreavers from Dalaran to stage an attack on Darnassus and steal the bell. This caused one problem to arise after another.

 

Anduin felt helpless as this was all going on, but then he remembered. During his personal studies here in the vale, he had heard of another artifact that can counter the bell. A Harmonic Mallet. He felt like it was his only choice. If the Divine Bell was to be left with Garrosh, who knows how much could he destroy this planet…

 

* * *

 

After the meeting in the shrine of seven stars, Anduin had once again been given a proper Alliance guard to keep him at bay, something he didn't appreciate at all, especially at a crucial time like this when there was an artifact to be found.

 

So, with one more mind control and a whole lot of luck, he managed to escape and make his way towards Kun-Lai Summit. He has heard that he could find all the information he needed from the Monkey King that resides somewhere in the Valley of Emperors, but sadly the monkey king was turned into Jade by one fearsome mogu… There could still be something he could do, unjade him or something, hopefully.

 

* * *

He found the Tomb of Conquerors and in there what he heard was true. After a few traps, some he barely missed, some hit him no matter how good he tried to dodge, he reached a room filled with jade statues. If he didn’t know different, he’d say those were crafted by some amazing jewel crafter.

 

“Wow”, he gasped, his voice echoing around the halls as he looked at the statues. Each was of either a mogu, hozen or creatures called Quillen, either ready to attack or defend, some scared, some angry… The expressions were so realistic. Well, how wouldn’t they be when these creatures were literally encompassed in jade. 

 

Moving further in, Anduin had found the one jade statue he needed, that of the so-called Monkey King. The monkey king seemed to be in a duel with a mogu that Lorewalker Cho mentioned being called the Jade Warlord. It seemed like such an iconic and historical moment. Anduin approached the statues and gently ran his hand down the smooth jade surface. He could barely feel a little life inside these statues… There had to be a way to bust him out.

 

After spending some more time in this tomb, he finally found a scroll containing what he needed. “To release someone caught in Jade, you will be releasing that who fought it last. The two would continue their long paused fight as if nothing had changed, so be careful. For those who may release in the future, don’t think that being from the past makes them any weaker, for those with their time paused here have once been the greatest threats our lands have ever seen”, read the scroll before following up with an incantation one is to use to free someone from their jade prison.

 

“If they will continue their fight, then I will need some backup…”, Anduin thought out loud as he made his way out of the tomb. Knowing his father’s legion, they should be sending someone to find him soon enough. Any champion would be good for this occasion. 

 

And he was right, as he climbed out of the tomb, sat down on one of the rocks near the entrance to breathe some fresh air and heal himself some more from the few traps that hit him on his way back, he noticed the familiar kite of Fennie Hornswaggle land not far from him and the familiar form of Tyonna and her leopard companion step down from it. Watching the draenei making her way towards him, he could notice that her armor changed a lot. She was now adorned in light purple armor with gray scales and bronze-ish metal adorning it on the side.

 

“Tracking you down is really hard, Prince. At Least you’re still in one piece.”, the draenei spoke and Anduin smiled shyly. He knew what she meant by this but, he was on brink of helping not only Alliance but Pandaria as well. The mallet is within his grasp... He could already feel it.

 

“ I am glad you made it, my friend. I could really use your help with what is to come. My father would prefer I remain in the safe custody of his legion. But if there is one thing Pandaria has taught me, is that a few people in the right place at the right time can make a bigger difference than the greatest of armies.", Anduin spoke, a bit excitedly. 

 

"What do you need me to do, prince?", Tyonna asked as she leaned down, giving her leopard a few scratches behind the ears, which the cat seemed to enjoy. 

 

"Ever since the Horde captured the Divine Bell I have been searching for a means to counter its power. My research got as far as this tomb. I am going inside. If you follow me, I will share the rest as we go." he spoke and without even waiting for her response, he started heading back into the tomb. He could hear her sigh before following after him. He didn't like using the champion like this, but he needed help and who better than one of the champions of Azeroth. 

 

* * *

 

As they descended, Anduin told her the full story of the mallet, how he heard of it, all the information he had found, everything. As they reached the room where the monkey king and the jade warlord were, he looked over at Tyonna. 

 

"Are you ready, champion?", Anduin asked, preparing himself to start the incantation. 

 

"Never been reader", Tyonna spoke as she stepped a bit in front and to the side of Anduin. Protecting the prince was obviously her main objective. 

 

"Here goes nothing", With that, Anduin began reciting the incantation, word by word as he watched the jade statues on the stage shake slightly. The hunter readied her bow as Anduin continued. 

 

Soon enough, the jade seemed to have just dispersed from the two as the monkey jumped back, landing next to the prince. 

 

"I'm back, Wikkets", the monkey King almost sang out, before noticing the mogu on the stage charging him again, so he returned to battle himself. The draenei had sent her pet against the mogu first before starting to shoot from her gun, the sound echoing throughout the empty halls of the tomb. 

 

The battle was over quickly, the mogu warlord losing to the hozen and the draenei. As they got back down to Anduin, he was more than ready to ask the questions he needed, but the Monkey King wasn't quite what he expected. 

 

"Ah... your grace?", Anduin began as he could see the monkey turn to him confused. 

 

"Ooo? Grace? I am not an emperor, little thing. You stand before the Monkey King!", he spoke, making in turn Anduin the confused one now. 

 

"My apologies. My name is Anduin Wrynn. This champion and I need your help", the prince was determined to go on and ask nicely, as one would of a king. 

 

"Help? You saved me from eternity trapped in Jade! I'm gonna throw you the biggest party ever made!", these words made Anduin a bit more relaxed. He was glad that the monkey king wanted to help them. 

 

"Thank you, but this is hardly the time for a party. A dangerous war leader named Garrosh has found the Divine Bell. We need the Harmonic Mallet to counter it", Anduin spoke, trying to get the hozen to see how dire the situation was indeed. 

 

"Oh... the missing Harmonic Mallet, eh? Such a silly name. So you come find the King because he is to blame?", Anduin took a small step back, fearing he insulted the man. 

 

"Well, my research said you were the last one to-", he tried explaining himself, but the monkey cut him off. 

 

"Ah ya ta ta! Don't worry, you in the right place. But let's first see if I like what comes out of your face.", the way the monkey worded himself made Anduin raise his brow. The Monkey was rather confusing how he spoke. "So, you wake up the Monkey King for a mallet hmmm? Answer first, these riddles three, and then the mallet you shall see."

 

"Champion, can I ask you to finish his riddles, I'm sure I have to go back to Lion's Landing soon, else they'll order to take me home to Stormwind", Anduin looked hopefully towards the champion who simply let out a soft sigh before nodding softly. 

 

"But you better be in Lion's Landing when I get back", Tyonna threatened and Anduin nodded before heading out. 

 

His trip back to the Alliance harbor wasn't long, but he had just enough time to think about things. He needed to think of his next moves quickly. Who knows how little time he had before Garrosh decided to strike. 

 

* * *

 

Sadly, finding the mallet wasn't as easy as Anduin hoped it would be after they found the monkey king. When the hunter and the monkey King came to Lion's Landing, only mere hours after Anduin, the prince hoped that was that and the next step was taking the mallet itself. But, it wasn't. 

 

The Monkey King explained that the mallet being broken into two separate parts, the head, and the handle. Besides that, he mentioned that for it to work against the bell, they'd need to find the harmonic ointment, as well. And not only find them, but each of them was guarded by a powerful entity… 

 

Thankfully, the champion agreed herself to go grab the parts for him. The next few days were spent coordinating with her and using the SI:7 to locate the three people the Monkey King spoke off. After finding all three, the champion was off to get the pieces needed. Their time was running short each minute and Anduin was fearing the worst every passing day. 

 

Upon return, disheveled and very tired hunter presented the three items to the Prince and, for the first time in a while, Anduin felt hope again. The mallet was there, meaning they finally had a way to counter the divine bell. 

 

"Alright, we have the handle, the head, and the ointment like you asked for. Can you reassemble the mallet?", Anduin asked as he presented the hunter's findings to the Monkey King. 

 

"Ayup! Silly youngin, just put rod in hole. And the mallet shall again be whole. Good as nibby new!", sometimes, Anduin wondered if the monkey king was just making fun of them, "But listen to the Monkey King. You only have enough ointment for one true swing". 

 

"Only one swing? Are we sure this will work? Is there any way to get more ointment?", this was worrisome. One swing might not be enough. Who knows how much Garrosh has hit it till now. 

 

"The Monkey King was there, the last time this mallet struck true. Tears came to eyes, and harmony was felt through and through. But no more ointment was ever made, for the mogu came with their raid. Use what you have, be grateful it is there. For the bell is a dangerous weapon, so handle with care.", okay, Anduin was starting to see why some of his men disliked the Monkey King. Too much rhyming is too much. 

 

"Thank you, for your guidance, Monkey King", Anduin said, with a light bow before looking at the mallet in his one hand and the ointment in his other. For a second he could feel doubt starting to cloud his mind, but then he steeled himself. No. He was not going to fall under Sha's influence. This could be done! He was ready to defeat Garrosh. 

 

* * *

 

Not by a few days passed before a word of mass Horde forces heading towards the Emperor's reach. Anduin was certain that that could only mean one thing. Garrosh was ready to use the bell. With everyone distracted, just like many times before, Anduin managed to slip past everyone and fly on towards there himself. 

 

The horde goons seemed distracted enough setting up the bell for their warchief that they didn't spot him. He landed not too far from where they were and quickly hid, peaking only ever so often to keep an eye on them. Looking at the sheer number of Horde soldiers there, Anduin realized… He fucked up. This was way too much for him alone. 

 

He sat there in hiding, watching the soldiers set up the bell. Slowly, the ground began to look more and more Sha-infested. "Oh, why didn't I take the champion with me, as well?", just as he thought this, biting his lower lip, he heard the familiar sound of a kite landing close by, turning around he noticed the draenei that helped him find the mallet jump off. He didn't see her beast at first, but then noticed something… The cat was stealthing actually, almost invisible to the naked eye. 

 

"Tyonna! Just the hunter I was hoping to see. You couldn't have arrived at a better time.", Anduin smiled seeing the familiar face who had helped him so many times before. "Garrosh is right over there, and he's going to ring that bell at any moment. We don't have time to wait for my father's army. This is our only chance to stop him! I'll attempt to appeal to his senses before resorting to using the Harmonic Mallet. Charge in whenever you're ready, Tyonna. I'll be right behind you.", he spoke, giving a soft nod to show that he himself was prepared for whenever the champion decided to start. 

 

" I know I say this every time, but be careful, prince. You are the future of the Alliance. You make us all proud", and with those words of encouragement, the champion headed towards the platform, her gun at ready as the beast stalked behind her, ready to pounce. 

 

Anduin followed after them before realizing what was unfolding before their eyes. 

 

"We are the HORDE. We are slaves to nothing and no one! With the Divine Bell, I will burn away any remnants of weakness within us. Fear... despair... hatred... doubt. The lesser races are buried beneath their weight. But WE will control their power. Together, we will destroy the Alliance and claim what is rightfully ours. Let our song of victory begin." Garrosh held a speech, one that, Anduin could feel, reached the hearts of his soldiers. As he finished speaking, he struck at the bell. The few of the soldiers that had been previously setting up the bell shuddered a bit before transforming into sha. A gasp left Anduin's mouth. He knew the bell controlled the sha, but if it could turn people into them, then it was more dangerous than he had thought at first. 

 

Anduin stayed back a bit to apply the harmonic ointment on the mallet as Tyonna dealt with one soldier after another, her pet ripping into the sha, tearing some in half, while the draenei's bullets pierced through them swiftly. After most have been dealt with, Anduin began climbing onto the platform and running up towards the bell to confront Garrosh himself. 

 

"Stop, Garrosh! You do not know what that bell is capable of!!", Anduin tried reasoning with him. He thought it was best to just be straight to the point with Garrosh, else he might not listen to him. 

"Ahahahaha... so in the end, it is not Varian, but his whelp who comes to face me. You run bravely to your death, young one!", Anduin felt a shiver run down his spine just from the roughness in the warchief's voice. But he was not going to pull back. He came this far. He will stop Garrosh even if it cost him his life. 

 

"I will not let you do this. I swear to it!", he said, standing his ground. If he faltered now, everything he worked for would be a waste. He needed to beat Garrosh here, or at least talk him out of this foolish idea. 

 

"Stop me then, human.", Anduin could tell that Garrosh was mocking him. It was obvious that the big, buff warchief saw Anduin as but a measly bug. But Anduin didn't step down. He watched as Garrosh strikes the bell again, this time turning only one of the orcs, one that, Anduin assumed, was like an advisor of sorts to him. 

 

"Auugh... Auuuuuugggghhhhh! This pain! I cannot control it!", the orc screamed as the monster fought its way out of the body, taking control of it. 

 

"Fight the sha - master it! Use it!", Garrosh called out after him but watching the other orc, Anduin could tell easily that he was having a lot of trouble with it. Mere mortals weren't able to control themselves when the sha attacks them. This is why the bell was so dangerous. 

  
  


"Do you speak the truth, Garrosh? Can the Horde truly survive another war?", from the sound of the orc's voice, Anduin could tell this was Doubt creeping up and clouding his mind. It might be the weakest of the sha, but just as dangerous as the rest. 

 

"Doubt is for the weak! Do not question your strength, Ishi. We will survive because we must! The Horde will prevail!", Anduin was surprised by Garrosh's words. He didn't seem even slightly troubled that one of his close advisors seemed to be torn from within. 

 

Tyonna acted quickly, sending her pet first to pounce on the orc as she pulled back, aiming a shot towards him and shooting, trying to finish off this battle as quickly as possible, before the sha takes completely over him. Anduin just watched, the orc was fighting both with his feelings and with one of Alliance's most powerful individuals. This was certainly not a fight he could win. 

 

"We have lost so much, Warchief. Our families, dead. Our friends, lost. Our homeland, gone. How much more must our people suffer?", the orc continued, his pain evident in his voice. Anduin couldn't help but feel sorry for him. He wished he could grant him a swift death, ease his suffering… This couldn't go on for long! 

 

"Our suffering is at an end. When this war is won, our people will see prosperity at last.", again, Anduin was in disbelief. Did Garrosh think so little of his people that he'd put them through such suffering? No! This was unacceptable. 

 

"Why should we be slaves to honor, when we could slaughter the children of our enemies while they sleep? My blade thirsts for Alliance blood!", Anduin took a step back hearing this.  _ Hatred _ . Did it run this deep with the horde? He knew quite a few Alliance members who also felt it this much… 

 

Anduin's mind went straight to Jaina and his father. Did their hatred blind them  _ this _ much every time? This was certainly not a good position for anyone. 

 

"Control your hatred, Ishi. There is killing, and then there is murder. Direct your rage to our enemies.", this might've been the first thing Garrosh had ever said that Anduin could agree with. It was weird, but at the same time, made Anduin feel like Garrosh wasn't all that bad. 

 

The battle continued on for a little bit while more. Anduin was just speechless. Tyonna and her pet were doing good keeping Ishi at bay and dealing as much damage as possible to kill him off fast. With the final bite from the leopard, the orc fell onto the ground, his life escaping him. 

 

"Warchief! I... I have failed you.", we're the last words he spoke before falling dead to the ground. Garrosh walked away from the bell and to the center of the platform where he stood. 

 

"Yes, Ishi. You have.", he spoke before turning towards Anduin, the prince just catching his eyesight. The amount of hatred that he could see in those eyes was scary, but Anduin knew better than to falter. The bell was right there, unguarded. It was perfect. "Your interference has cost me a great warrior, young prince. You'll pay with your life.", the threat came, but Anduin just smirked back at him. Garrosh had no idea about his secret weapon. 

  
  


"That is where you are  _ wrong _ , Garrosh.", Anduin began, stepping closer to the bell, watching the confusion slowly rise on the warchief's face, "The mogu made the Divine Bell to create chaos, but the Pandaren created a special mallet to turn the echoes of that chaos into perfect harmony. That mallet was hidden for thousands of years, until now". As he spoke, Anduin took the mallet out and leaped upward, performing an overhand strike on the bell, stunning Garrosh. He could hear a slight cracking noise and glancing away from the horde warchief and to the bell, he could see the crack forming on it. That was it! He stopped Garrosh's plan. 

 

"Die, whelp!!", he heard the warchief practically growl out at him. Anduin was lucky enough to look back at the warchief when he did, managing to dodge the hit just barely. Garrosh, instead, slammed his fist into the Divine Bell. Anduin's eyes widened as he watched the force of the blow caused the bell to shatter further, crumbling into pieces. 

 

Now, this would be a joyous moment for Anduin. It meant he had successfully stopped the Horde Warchief. It proved he was strong, that his wit was as powerful, maybe even more powerful than his father's and Garrosh's brute strength. Except… 

 

Standing near the bell as it crumbled wasn't such a good thing. As pieces crumbled from the bell, a large number of them managed to find their way onto him, crushing him. He could faintly hear some voices in the background before that was gone. 

 

"D..did we... do it?", Anduin mumbles out somehow, hoping the champion could hear him, "L..look... in.. my... bag… Use... flare…". And with those words, he was out. 

 

The last thought in his head, before everything went dark was the mysterious boy he saw. He wished he had enough time to speak to him, but alas, death has taken him. 


	12. Intermission 4 (Archmage's worries)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Nightmares are a horrible thing, no matter how weak or strong you are, they can break you.

She found herself above the sea, cruising the sky with a soft wind. It was peaceful… At least she thought it was.  _ Roooaar!  _ Sound the mighty growl of numerous dragons. As she looked over at them, she noticed that they each seemed to have an orcish rider. 

 

That's when she realized. She knew what this was about. Her brother's death. She watched as the or ish dragon riders flew down and attacked the ship. She saw her brother, her long-dead brother, trying to warn others, but he wasn't lucky. With one breath, one of the dragons breathed fire, burning the captain, her brother, and a part of the ship. 

 

The sight was destroying her. She wasn't there to witness it first hand, but now it was here, she was watching the death of her brother and mourning of her father. 

 

Whatever was keeping her afloat gently landed her on the ground. There she was met with Thrall and a few others. She recognized them all easily. Rexxar, Rokhan and Chen Stormstout, all Horde champions, in a way. For a second she was happy to see them, but her short-lived smile was destroyed at the sight of her father. Daelin Proudmoore was a great man and a wonderful father, but he was not forgiving towards the enemy. He didn't listen, Jaina tried to explain how the horde wasn't so bad, Thrall tried to explain as well, but he didn't listen. 

 

And as Jaina now stood there, she could see her father fighting Rexxar and losing to him. It was what he deserved, she knew. But it hurt her. "Remember him for the proud warrior he was", she could hear Rexxar speak, but it didn't quite register as she mourned the death of her father, the man who taught her so much. 

 

Soon, everything just changed again and she found herself on a road, one she recognized from Eastern Kingdoms, not too far from Lordaeron. Walking down a familiar road, Jaina felt her insides churning. She knew what awaited her just around the corner. She had seen this scene my times,  _ way too many _ times. It was her worst nightmare. 

 

Turning around the corner, she could see the Lordaeron army gathered there, a single leader standing ahead of them, looking forward towards a city. A city once known for its music, its festivals, and its grand marketplace. A city, that in mere hours, was going to turn into rubble as the man standing in front of this army desecrate every square inch of it, leaving no man, woman, or child alive. 

 

Her chest tightened. It was getting harder to breathe with every passing second. She was slowly, carefully approaching the front of the army, the man who stood tall and proud. "Arthas", the words felt like poison in her mouth. She was afraid. Disgusted. And more than anything, deeply hurt. 

 

She watched as the man's beautiful, long, blonde hair slowly lost its color. The lovely gold fading into a deadly silver. "Arthas", she called louder, and this time, the man turned around, a wicked smile on his face. His deadly, slowly rotting face. He was no longer her beautiful prince… He had become something terrible, something worse than even the most vicious of criminals. 

 

"Jaina, my  _ love _ , it's so nice of you to join us.", his voice came as a deep raspy voice, one that could send a shiver down anyone's spine. He held his hand out towards her. "Come, join me. It's almost time for the show", he spoke softly. She didn't want to, but she felt her body moving forward, her hand reached out, taking a hold of his as he easily pulled her closer. His hand snaked around her waist. 

 

"Arthas, you..", she tried to speak, but he pressed a finger to her lips. A cold,  _ cold _ finger. 

 

"Shh, the show is about to start", she swallowed as she looked from him back over to where the city was. She blinked a bit. The town changed. This was no longer Stratholme… No, this felt way more familiar. 

 

The sudden realization took her as she saw the horde zeppelin flying over. This was  _ Theramore.  _ She tried to run forward, there were still people there,  _ Rhonin _ was there! She had to try and help him out. But she couldn't move. Arthas was holding her in place. It's like he didn't want to let her help them. He wanted to show her what she couldn't stop. 

 

This was even worse than Stratholm. Stratholm, indeed, was a terrible occurrence, but nothing hurt worse than watching your townspeople, your  _ friends _ die in a battle that never could've been won. That bomb… It took  _ everything  _ from her. 

 

She didn't want to just look at this. If her town was going down, she was going to down with it. She pushed herself away from him as she ran towards Theramore, there was time, she could make it, get in, grab Rhonin and teleport out, she had time! 

 

_ She didn _ ' _ t.  _ The bomb fell down, Arcane power busted from it all around, making her have to shield her eyes from the sudden blast of energy and light. 

 

As the light subsided, she blinked somewhat, looking around, before running inside. She needed to check on everyone. Someone might've been alive! As soon as she stepped through the gate inside, the scenery changed. She was in Darnassus again, at the Cenarion conclave, The divine bell nowhere near. She tracked down the arcane path, only to find a portal to Dalaran, her city… Her mages did this. She was torn. She didn't want to enter the portal, knowing what lies beyond. Even more destruction of what she loved. 

 

It was yet another city she ruined. At this point… Should she even keep leading it? It seemed as if whatever she loved gets destroyed… 

 

" _ Jaina, darling? _ ", the voice almost escaped her. Who could it be among this rubble? Was it Arthas again? " _ Jaina, Jaina wake up _ ", she saw the clouds in the sky parting somewhat as a ray of sunshine and hope slowly descended upon her.

* * *

 

With a gasp she woke up, feeling sweat covering her as she breathed heavily. Just a  _ nightmare _ . Nothing new there. She felt someone tilt her chin up and as she let her eyes follow where the hand was guiding her, her eyes met up with Kalec's deep blue ones. 

 

"My dearest, are you okay?", he asked, worry obvious in his tone. Jaina tried to smile a bit. She didn't want to worry him. These were only nightmares. Nothing unusual. 

 

"I'm fine, my love. It was just a nightmare", she said and he gave a nod in understanding before leaning in and giving her a soft kiss on the lips. It was a chaste kiss. A kiss to help her relax, she knew this. Kalec was always there to relax her and try to make her feel better. 

 

"Do you need me to lay with you? It's still too early to be up and about.", he asked. She looked up into his eyes again. Could she be selfish? Ask for something like that from him. She knew he was most likely busy. He had work to do. He was responsible for the whole blue dragonflight and all their businesses and problems. And yet… Here he was, offering to help her sleep. 

 

"No. Finish what you were working on and then you can join me in bed.", she reached up, gently stroking his cheek, "I don't want to take you away from work". She saw his eyebrows furrow at that. 

 

"Work doesn't matter if my mate is troubled, Jaina. You need to know that you will always come first, no matter what.", he spoke and Jaina felt that churning in her stomach again. Her mind remembered Arthas and all his declarations of love to her. It hurt,  _ everything  _ hurt. "That's how it has always been with dragons" 

 

"I… I can't ask you to do that, Kalec. Your people depend on you",  _ just like people depended on me _ … She felt him push her down onto the bed, not too roughly, a low growl in his throat. 

 

"I  _ insist _ , Jaina. Just until you fall asleep. And then I'll move away", she knew he was lying, but she also needed him. She needed  _ someone _ . 

 

She gave a weak nod of her head before feeling him shift to lay beside her. She moved in closer as she felt his arms wrap around her protectively. 

 

"Sleep well, my love.", a soft kiss to her forehead and she smiled softly, trying to will herself to sleep. It was hard. All the nightmarish imagery descended back upon her mind. And not only that, she could see Anduin hurt, Varian bleeding out… Everywhere she looked someone she loved was hurt. She felt useless, she needed to help them.

 

After some time, she managed to drift to sleep in her partner's arms, hoping this time it won't be all nightmares. 


	13. His personal haven

_ He woke up on a bed he could recognize as his own. As he looked up, he could see the smile of his mother as she gently stroked his hair.  _

 

"M-mother? Am I dead?", he asked, not attempting to move out of her lap. This was the first time in a while he got to see her. It was so surreal, the two of them looked a lot alike, that was true. 

 

"Not quite yet, my son. You have a long future ahead of you, this is just a little  _ setback _ ", she spoke kindly. Anduin looked down a bit. For the past month or so he had dealt with the void and its shadow powers, and now he lays here next to his mother, a light user. 

 

"Mom… I think I might've strayed off of the path of light", he spoke apologetically as he sat up. He didn't feel worthy to be with her. He abandoned the light for what? Freedom? Power? And where did that lead him? To his own  _ death _ . His mother pulled him close as she hugged him lovingly. 

 

"Shh, we all make mistakes, Anduin. It is those mistakes that make us better people than we were.", as she spoke, Anduin felt like he could trust her. And not in the way he felt he trusted Katrana… This was  _ pure _ trust. Trust that came out of  _ love  _ for his mother. "If it was the past that defined us, do you think your father could be who he is now? Or even lady Jaina? You need to come back for them, my son. Your father and auntie need you now more than ever", Anduin felt the weight behind those words. But was he ready? He was just a teenager running around in uncharted territory and fighting foes way above what he could take on. 

 

"But I'm not strong enough, mom.", he felt tears well up in his eyes. Admitting that felt relaxing. He had tried to stay strong for so long in Pandaria. He had almost got himself killed multiple times, almost ended up getting others killed as well. 

 

"You are still young, Anduin. By the time you're of age, I'm sure you will have grown into a strong man. One worthy enough to be the king of Stormwind and to lead the Alliance forward. Your people trust you, Anduin. That, in itself, is a great strength", Anduin wasn't sure, but her words sounded so pure. It wasn't hard to tell why his father always said that she was the one who kept him from straying off his path. 

 

"I will… And I will make both dad and you proud", he spoke, feeling filled with hope and energy. 

 

"You already make us proud, Anduin. Now come on, it's almost time for you to wake up.", Anduin frowned. He wanted to stay with her. There was so much he wanted, but he knew he didn't have much time. "Oh, and when you get there, tell your father I love him. And to take care of himself a bit", Anduin smiled a bit at that. It was one of the things that made him feel better when his mother or father expressed their love for each other. Then he knew, he was truly a lucky child. 

 

* * *

 

Waking up, he felt his hand was being held. Who could it be? The hand was big, strong… Dad? Opening his eyes slightly, he first caught the sight of Master Velen, and then his father right next to him. 

 

"Anduin, are you okay? How's your body feeling?", his dad practically jumps on him asking him all these questions. It was obvious to anyone that his father was worried sick. Anduin could notice the black circles under his eyes. He tried to reach up, but at that moment he felt a sudden wave of pain wash up over his body. It took every last bit of him not to scream out, but it didn't stop tears from leaking out. 

 

"Don't try moving too much. Your bones are still healing. There was only so much the light could do, young one", Velen spoke as he put his hand over the prince's forehead. Anduin relaxed softly as he felt some more light seeping in from Prophet Velen's hand. There was still void inside him, he knew but feeling the light fill his body was rather relaxing. 

 

"We need to get him to Stormwind, immediately", he heard his father say. A part of him wanted to fight, wanted to tell his dad no. But at this point, he was sure his dad was right. He'd be safer in Stormwind. 

 

"Varian, no offense to you or anything, but the prince can barely move. Getting him while he's like this to Stormwind won't be easy. I suggest we leave him to the local healers to keep an eye on him.", Velen spoke. At this moment, Anduin loved his master more than anything. He might get to stay in Pandaria after all.

 

"Dad, I saw mom while I was unconscious… She told me to tell you that she loves you", even speaking hurt. Anduin was certain now that traveling to Stormwind wouldn't be easy at all. 

 

There was a silence for a bit before Varian spoke up. "You can stay here for the time being. But we need to hide you away someplace far out of Garrosh's reach", Anduin felt like he could just hug him right now… Except for the part where all his bones were broken. 

 

"I might have found the perfect place for that. It's a Tavern in the mist. One of my agents accidentally stumbled upon it himself. Said there was a small healing pool there. It'd be the perfect place to hide away the prince", Anduin recognized the voice of Matthias Shaw, the leader of SI:7 and one of the best rogues and strategic minds of Alliance. 

 

Slowly, and  _ very  _ painfully, Anduin managed to sit up and look around the room. Other than his father and Velen, there were a few more people present. Matthias Shaw was at the door, probably just entered the room himself, Jaina was sitting on a chair in the far corner, leaned against Kalecgos and apparently asleep. Anduin couldn't help but smile softly, she looked so peaceful like that. It was sad that when she wakes up she'll once again look troubled and tired, not that he could blame her with all that's happening around her. Sometimes he just wanted to go back in time and fix everything around her so that she might be happy for once. 

 

"If you're keeping him here, I could get a few monks to help in his day-to-day treatment. We can also set up extra defenses inside the tavern -", a Pandaren female spoke up. If he remembers correctly, her name was Aysa. 

 

"We don't need more defenses. The tavern has its own defenses, as just being near a healing pool is dangerous as it is, plus, I will leave a couple of members of SI:7 to guard. They're skilled assassins, so no one will be able to get close to the prince without passing through them first.", Matthias cut short the pandaren's idea. Having si:7 assassins in hiding sounded way better than having guards he'd actually see. 

 

"He will also get his two personal guards. It's not that I don’t trust you, General Shaw, but as a father, I won't be able to sleep peacefully without knowing that he is safe.", Varian spoke up as well. Anduin guessed that was fine. With his body as it was, he wouldn't be able to move much anyway, so his guards might just have him under control for once. 

 

"Yes, your majesty. When shall we transport him there", the rogue asked. Anduin was interested to know this as well. He wasn't sure how his body would fair with travel right now. 

 

"Tomorrow at dusk should be fine", Velen said as he inspected Anduin's body, "his wounds should be stable enough then" 

 

“Then tomorrow your rogues will take him there, together with his two guards. And once this is all over, we will come to pick you up, Anduin. Till then, you need to recover.”, Varian spoke and the prince couldn’t help but smile. He loved when his father got this little bit of kindness in him, other than the usual roughness.

 

“I understand. I don’t think I’d be able to do much before I recover anyway, father”, Anduin said and felt his dad tighten his hold on his hand slightly before letting go.

 

* * *

 

As the new day arose, Anduin could notice that he was able to move somewhat better. He couldn't run, and standing in his own still felt painful, but he felt less like a cripple than laying in bed all day long. His excitement was growing as the hours went by. He wanted to see this hidden place, it, at least, meant not needing to watch more people fighting and arguing. 

 

As the sun began setting, healers had just finished his treatment and were helping him get dressed for his trip. Matthias Shaw walked in, followed by two rogues, a male, and a female. 

 

"Is the white pawn ready?", he asked and Anduin couldn't help but roll his eyes. 

 

"Just call me prince or Anduin. I hate that nickname" Anduin said as he slowly stood up. He felt his bones ache a bit, but it was nothing compared to when he got crushed. 

 

"... As you wish, prince", the SI:7 leader bowed some before moving from the door so that the prince can leave with them, "The location is not far from here, we'll arrive there in about an hour if we take off on griffins. Once there, you will be escorted to your room. After that, you are free to soak in the hot springs or hang anywhere on the premises of the Tavern". Anduin just lazily nodded. Matthias should know he didn't care for details. He liked exploring anyways. 

 

They flew on a total of 5 griffins, each rogue and soldier getting one, while Anduin got to share with Matthias. Flying over the lands he's known for quite some time now felt relaxing, especially in this peaceful dusk atmosphere. He could somewhat get the feeling where they were but seeing the small, secret part was rather interesting. It was right between the Jade Forest and the vale but had entrances from the kun-lai summit and the valley of four winds.

 

The landing was smooth and Anduin could right away see a pair of pandas awaiting their arrival. Matthias helped him off before climbing back onto his griffin. "I leave you here now, your majesty. You have 4 guards of your own and this place in itself is well guarded, so you shouldn't have any problems.", the rogue captain spoke and Anduin gave him an absent-minded nod. Too many details right now. 

 

"I'll be good, Mr. Shaw.", just as he spoke, he heard the mighty wings flap as the captain and his trusted griffin flew into the night sky. 

 

"Come, prince. We're sure you need to unpack and all", the pandas began, but Anduin wasn't interested in that right now. 

 

"I heard there was a healing pool here, may I try it out?", Anduin asked, using the look he learned works on many people. He would make his eyes wider, pout a bit as he looked the person right in the eyes. It was a killer. 

 

"A-ah yes, of course. Let me take you there", one of the pandas moved closer to Anduin to help guide him, while the other helped his guards with the luggage. There wasn't much, but sometimes even that is a lot. 

 

The panda led him to the back of the tavern where something he called "a changing room" was. "Just strip your clothes here and then make your way through those doors", he pointed towards the doors to the back, "And there's the pool. Be free to soak in it as long as you'd like, your majesty."  _ Great.  _ He had all the time in the world to enjoy himself. 

 

_ Or so he thought.  _

 

As the Pandaren left the room, Anduin slowly removed one piece of clothing after the next, until he was stark naked. He then moved towards the pool that,  _ he was glad _ , was empty. He didn't want people to see the scarring in his body.

 

With a few more steps, he stepped one foot into the water. He was surprised at the warmth. He was used that those in the vale were cold, but this one… It was rather warm and relaxing. He let himself sink in the water, closing his eyes and exhaling. The water was working wonders already. The warmth was just covering all of his sunken body and relaxing his muscles. He could understand why they called it healing waters. 

 

Relaxing in the water, he felt like he could just fall asleep right there. His mind was slowly starting to drift off before there was a soft splashing noise. It brought him right back, but he didn't open his eyes. ' _ It's just a leaf or something, Anduin. Relax.'  _ he told himself as he took another deep breath to try and relax his mind and body again. 

 

But almost as soon as he exhaled, there was another splashing of the water and a high pitched scream. His eyes shot open as he sat up straight, looking for the origin of this scream. There, in front of him,  _ stark naked _ , stood the man he had met once before that has, since then, found himself as the main object of Anduin's thoughts many times. It was the mysterious man  _ with a very handsome smirk _ from the White tiger's temple. 

 

" **What** are you doing here?!?", the male demanded to know. Getting a better look at him, especially without any clothes in the way, Anduin could tell the boy was probably around his age, he had really dark skin,  _ a perfect contrast to his own ivory one _ . Messy dark hair, piercing red eyes, a pair of horns protruding from just a bit above and beside each of his temples. His body was slim, with a sign of muscle definition around his abdomen and down between his legs… He saw the male quickly sit in the water, glaring at him. "Seriously? What is  _ wrong _ with you humans? You see a man for the first time and the first you do is look at his penis?", he beckoned. Anduin could feel the heat rising to his cheeks. This wasn't the way this scene went in his mind. In his mind, the exotic boy would be all over him by this time… 

 

"I-I…", he was speechless.  _ Wait,  _ then this wasn't a dream? Maybe it's a different dream? Maybe this time he should be the one to make the first move? 

 

"Ugh, why didn't my men tell me someone was already here. I'm so going to fire them for this. It's hard finding good servants these days", the dark-skinned beauty kept speaking so Anduin swallowed as he moved over closer to the man. The person seemed lost in his speech that he didn't notice him approaching. "I mean, seriously. Their one job is to make sure this pool is empty when I want to take a bath and yet here I am, wanting to take a bath whi--", Anduin pressed his lips against the boy's, in both an effort to shut him up and to check if this was a dream. 

 

He could feel the heat against his face, unsure who's it was, but this kiss felt so much better than in his usual dreams. Was this also from the pool? He pressed in deeper, trying to remember how it usually went, he tried to push his tongue in, but was welcomed by sharp teeth… Wait… He never had sharp teeth before. He pulled back a bit, looking at the boy in front of him and blinking confusedly. "You have sharp teeth… And horns", Anduin blurted out confused. He could see the man below him looking flustered. He wasn't expecting this? The man in his dreams usually expects it…  _ Slap!  _ He felt a piercing pain across his left cheek. 

 

" _ What is wrong with you?!?  _ You can't just go on kissing people as you please. Just cause you are a prince doesn't mean people will just let you do as you please, ugh", as he heard the man whining, it dawned on him.  _ This wasn't a dream.  _ He just kissed a stranger, a  _ handsome  _ stranger, but a stranger no less. He pulled back fast and slapped a hand over his mouth as he felt all the bones in his body aching. 

 

"Oh, Light, oh light oh light oh light", he chanted, staring wide-eyed at the man, "I'm so,  _ so  _ sorry" he said taking the hand off of his mouth, "I-I thought this was a dream, I didn't realize you were, well,  _ you _ , umm, h-hi, I'm Anduin, Prince of Stormwind, Son of Varian, priest-in-training", Anduin rambled on, unsure of what to do or say as an apology. 

 

"Wait, you see me in your dreams?", the male asked and the young prince realized, he said something he shouldn't have. 

 

"I-I… I should go", he said, about to stand up, but the aching of his bones had him falling back into the water as this man, now with a wide smirk, approached him, leaning much closer. Anduin's eyes met the man's red, and he could see the man could devour him in any way imaginable in just a second. And in a way, he wanted it… He wanted to just let this man do as he pleases. 

 

"I think you should stay a while, and tell me about those dreams of yours", Anduin could feel the male's breath against his lips, this whole closeness was driving him insane. 

 

"I…", hehe was speechless, his eyes were being drawn in by those ruby eyes. 

 

"Oh? You don't want to say? Well, I guess I'll just have to pull it out of you", this soothing voice the other was using seemed to travel southwards for Anduin as his hands each gripped a stone he could find under him. His lips were so close and then… He pulled back. "Ugh, you humans have really strong scents when you get horny, ugh…", he swatted some air from in front of his nose, "The name's Wrathion, now get rid of that. I don't even want to know why you're reacting like this". Anduin's brain hardly registered that name. Wrathion was such a weird name for a human. Wrath was like anger, and anger was bad… Only dragons have weird names… 

 

"Wait… Are you a dragon?", Anduin heard himself ask without thinking. Wrathion looked at him, his smirk still present. 

 

"What gave it up? The horns on my head? My sharp teeth? Yeah, I'm a damn dragon. But listen here, if you tell anyone, prince or no prince, I will make sure that you never see the light again. And I'll just blame it on the horde. I'm sure your father would be more than happy to destroy the entirety of the horde if he heard they even hurt a strand in your head, let alone killed you", as much as Wrathion sounded intimidating, to a boy who was just crushed by a bell, it wasn't that scary. After all, words are words, and he himself went against a crazed maniac with little to no help.

 

"I won't tell anyone… I mean, I'm stuck here for a while and I don't quite have a way to escape with so many guards around me, yknow", Anduin said, with a soft smile, managing to get his composure back somewhat, "So, I mean, we could get to know each other better". 

 

"... I've seen you escape your guards countless times, but sure, I can humor you some… Tomorrow. I came here to relax and then go sleep.", Wrathion said as he exhaled, relaxing into the water. 

 

"Well, I'm done, so I will leave you alone, Wrathion", he said as he got up slowly and headed out, which just so happened to be passing next to Wrathion. He thought it would get some reaction, and it did. As he was about to get out, Wrathion grabbed his hand. Looking down, Anduin was welcomed by those same ruby eyes that he was oh so falling for. 

 

"One thing before you go, prince, your kiss was not bad, but you gotta work on the technique", Anduin could feel his face heating up, and this time he couldn't just blame the water, so he pulled his hand free and stomped off. Such a rough exit did cause his legs to ache, but he didn't care. He didn't want to deal with that dragon now. He could hear laughter behind him and he swore: he will get back at him. 

 

* * *

 

That night, Anduin could hardly sleep. Somewhere in this tavern, there was a boy that has been occupying his mind for quite some time now. And on top of that, it was the boy with whom he shared his first kiss with. And if  _ that  _ wasn't enough, that same boy was a  _ motherfucking  _ **_dragon_ ** . 

 

With an exhausted sigh, he pushed himself to his feet slowly and went to the window. Looking up at the sky, he could see the moon shining brightly among the stars. It was such a beautiful view. He always thought the view from his window in the Stormwind Keep was amazing at night, but after traveling some, he has noticed that that view is nothing compared to the beauties of Kalimdor and Pandaria. 

 

He wasn't sure what to do in the morning. He will probably run into the dragon again… How should he act? Be all chill? Be flirty? What is  _ flirty _ even? Compliment him? Start a fight? How do people do this… Where was auntie Jaina when he needed love advice? She was the only one who he could think of who could help. After all, Kalec was a dragon, therefore Jaina should know how to help him court a dragon. 

 

But what would he tell her? Hey, Auntie, there's a really hot guy I met who, haha, turned out to be a dragon and I kinda like him and want to date him, how do I tell him? Not to mention I already kinda forced a kiss on him, while we were naked… 

 

She'd think he was crazy. Ugh, well, he was on his own. He moved back to his bed and laid down, wanting to get at least some sleep before he has to meet with his impending doom. 

 

* * *

 

_ His dream brought him back to the Stormwind Keep's throne room, where Katrana seemed to have been waiting for him on the throne again _ . 

 

"Ah, young prince, I've been expecting you", she said, smiling at him. The smile looked rather welcoming, but he knew that she wasn't the welcoming kind. 

 

"I don't doubt that, seeing as you know just when I'm arriving in these dreams", Anduin said, pouting a bit. He was honestly expecting to see his mother again and ask for love advice, but alas, "What do you want?". 

 

"No need to be so angry, little one. I just wanted to say that I'm glad you met my  _ nephew  _ finally.", she said, getting off of the throne and stepping towards Anduin, "Now, it would be nice if you could talk him into returning to the family job, he seems to have run away from it. He is still too young to understand the gift we've been given" 

 

"Your nephew? Wrathion?", Anduin asked confused. There was no way Wrathion was with Onyxia… Did he fall for a black dragon? Oh, if his father hears, he'd have Wrathion's head out in display in Stormwind… We can't have that. 

 

"Yes, Wrathion is my nephew. We don't look that alike, neither did my sister, his mother, and I. She always took more on our mother's side, while I did father's. It could be that or that she was tortured by the red dragonflight as they  _ experimented  _ on her and her eggs.", Anduin could hear the anger and disgust in her voice. Did the knowledge of those experiments hurt her? Did she watch it happen? He always thought this was a figment of his imagination, not the real Onyxia, now he was having doubts. 

 

"I'm sorry", Anduin said, frowning a bit. Maybe black dragons weren't so bad, maybe people just misunderstood them… He wasn't sure what to say. It wasn't every day someone came to him and told him about a member of his family being tortured. 

 

"It's fine, we got payback on them, the way they deserved. But, enough about the past. We're here to talk about the future. And for the future to be bright, we would need your help, Prince Anduin. You yourself have felt the void, you've managed to use it quite well… Teach it to my nephew. Tell him just how good it is.", Katrana was now close to him, gently tilting his head so he looks her in the eyes, "You two can together help Azeroth. You can make it the perfect place again".

 

Those words sounded nice. He wouldn't mind helping Azeroth. As his mind wondered about the topic, he felt his bones ache again. It was like a subtle reminder from the light not to deal with this, that this might be dangerous… "I… I will see to talk to him about it", he said with a weak smile. The ache in his bones was really bad. Maybe he should go for a morning bath after waking up. Those waters seemed to do wonders to the pain. 

 

"Good. I'm always here if you need me, darling", she said and patted his head lovingly, "Just remember, the quicker you talk him into accepting this, the better the results in the future". 

 

He nodded softly. He could imagine him and Wrathion, as kings of Stormwind, kings of the Alliance… Maybe even  _ kings of Azeroth.  _ No one knew what the future held. 

 

* * *

 

Morning came painfully to him. His bones ached as he moved just to get up. He could easily tell that dressing up will be a  _ real  _ pain in the ass, so he decided to just put on the simplest of cloths. After all, it's not like he has someone to impress here or keep the princely act. 

 

After a good fifteen minutes of putting on a plain white shirt and a simple pair of black pants that matched with his black boots, he headed down towards the tavern to find some food. 

 

"Oh, the sleeping beauty is up, and here I thought you'd need a kiss to wake up", he heard a snarky remark and as he looked over, still somewhat sleepy, he noticed Wrathion at one of the tables, a ton of food in front of him. The dragon looked just as on point as he had last night… How? What magic was he using? 

 

"Bet you'd be too embarrassed to kiss me, even if I'm sleeping if your yesterday's reaction was anything to go by", Anduin retorted as he sat at an empty table. He didn't want to deal with snarky  _ handsome  _ dragons early in the morning. He didn't want to deal with any snarky remarks. His body hurt, he was hungry, and he just didn't need it right now. 

 

"Well, that just caught me off-guard. One can't just expect a blonde prince appearing out of nowhere and kissing him. Now sit here, I already ordered food for us both. You said you wanted to get to know me or was that just a spur of the moment thing?", there was that  _ je ne sais quoi _ in the dark-skinned boy's voice that just had Anduin standing up and moving to his table. Anduin knew the man was smirking as he just took a piece of bread and bit into it, looking away from Wrathion. He  _ really  _ didn't like his whole snarky attitude. 

 

"I'm here just cause you already ordered food.", Anduin said and heard a chuckle from across the table. If Wrathion ever asked, he would deny that that chuckle brought a shiver down his spine, but he couldn't lie to himself. He had previously thought that his crush in the boy he saw once in his life was bad, but now, after meeting him, he just fell attracted to him even more. "I really hate that black dragon charm", he mumbled under his breath as he ate. If he expected any form of reaction from Wrathion, it surely wasn't him slamming on the table, causing some of the food to fall over as he growled, glaring into Anduin's eyes. 

 

"I'm nothing like them! I am  _ pure!" _ , Anduin was certainly pulled back by this. He couldn't even imagine someone having such a reaction to his blood. "Don't  _ ever _ mention  _ me _ in the same sentence as  _ them _ !", Anduin just nodded at that. There was nothing he could quite say to that. Mad Wrathion was scary. 

 

"I'm sorry. I don't know your life story or why you hate them. I'm just saying that you have an irresistible charm just like Lady Kat--Onyxia had.", he said, returning to his food.  _ Sheesh _ . You say one thing and he goes from loving to insane. Did the void really need him? He seemed way too unstable to just recruit and expect him to behave. Anduin just might have an easier time talking Velen into using the void and not this boy. 

 

_ We don't want the prophet. We want the dragon. We  _ **_need_ ** _ the dragon.  _ A voice spoke in his head and Anduin made a short pause between bites.  _ That _ never happened before. 

 

"You're right, sorry. I just don't want to be associated with them…", Wrathion's voice was less snarky… It didn't match him at all. There was silence for a bit, neither knowing what to say before Anduin decided to break the silence. 

 

"So, I'm still waiting on the proof that you can kiss me, dragon, or was that just all talk in the end?", He spoke, sending the other a smirk. Sadly, he only received a chicken leg right in his face. 

 

"I only kiss those who are worth it. Unlike you", came the answer and Anduin just laughed. Maybe staying here will end up being even more fun than he originally thought. 

 

"Too bad, but trust me, I'll have you kissing me in no time", Anduin wasn't sure where this confidence came from, but he was sure, more than ever since he  _ died _ … He and this guy will become friends at least, of nothing more than that. 


	14. The Time They Spent in Love

If someone had told Anduin that he'd become friends with a black dragon out of his own free will, he'd probably have dismissed them, maybe even called the guards to seize them. But now, here he was, sitting at a table in a Tavern far from anyone's eyes, playing some game original to Pandaria that this boy, who looked to be his age, was teaching him the rules to. Sometimes, and only  _ sometimes,  _ he'd think that maybe the boy was making up rules, or adding them, just to win, but at some point, he gave up asking questions. There was just something about the dragon gloating about how much better he was than the prince that made him look so adorable. 

 

It was obvious that the dragon was probably lonely here, hiding from his kin and others alike, being surrounded by servants and not friends… It reminded Anduin of his days cooped up in the keep. He didn't want Wrathion to feel like that. He wanted to see him free, spread his wing and fly away happily. 

 

"And as always, your mage deck can't do anything to my rogue deck, Prince Anduin. Will you finally admit that I'm so much better than you?", the dragon gloated again. Anduin looked down at the board, snapping back from his thoughts to the game. ' _ Well of course when you modify the rules to help you win',  _ is what he wanted to say, but instead opted out for a softer approach. 

 

"Yeah, I guess I'll never be able to beat you. Maybe I should just not play anymore, seeing how I can't win", those words seemed to have made Wrathion feel even prouder of himself before slumping a bit. As much as the dragon wanted to remain mysterious and unreadable, if you spent just enough time with him, you could easily tell what he was feeling, no matter what he said. 

 

"Don't just give up. You need to fight to reach the top. Not everything will be served on a silver platter for you, prince.", and there was this as well. For someone, whom Anduin learned was barely 2 years of age,  _ dragon age _ as Wrathion tended to repeat multiple times, the dragon loved speaking and selling motivation talks as if he was reaching a hundred, not just hatched yesterday. It was both annoying and funny. 

 

"Yes, but you do not fight a losing battle, Wrathion. You, instead, make a tactical retreat and strike them again, where they don't expect it.", Anduin spoke, returning both the sass and knowledge. Listening to his father's lessons had proven useful once again. After all, his father was a strategic genius. This made Wrathion silent for a bit, but not too long. 

 

"You could if it was something important to you. Do you know how many wars were led over  _ love _ alone? And not all of them were won. But they still tried till their dying breath", now it was Anduin's turn to think a bit. This was true. 

 

"But I don't think our  _ children's game _ is on equal levels as a war for someone I love", he said before letting a smirk creep up on his face, "Or are you saying you want me to play this like I'm fighting for your heart?". He almost missed the soft blush creeping up Wrathion's cheeks. 

 

"Of course not. There's nothing on the line here as stupid as  _ my heart _ . It's only to pass time", he responded. Anduin stopped actually pursuing the male. They still had this on-and-off flirting kind of thing, but they mostly kept it friendly. It was like that's what they both needed. Just someone close to their age who was there to share interests with. Even if those interests were mostly playing board games and discussing politics that neither of them had control over while cooped up in here. 

 

They often went to the pool together, just enjoying soaking into the warm water in peace. A few times Anduin even saw Wrathion soaking in his dragon form. It wasn't quite what he expected, but he liked it. Then again, Wrathion was still just a whelp, no matter how smart he spoke. Whelp Wrathion enjoyed when Anduin pet him, scratched his head and under his chin lovingly. It was sort of their bonding time, and Anduin himself just found him more adorable. 

 

* * *

 

"Yknow, when I first saw you, back in the temple I thought you were really cool", Anduin confessed looking up at Wrathion. They were outside of the tavern, Wrathion sitting on the grass with Anduin laying, using Wrathion’s lap as a pillow.

 

“Hm? So? Do you now  _ know _ I’m cool?”, Wrathion asked as he absentmindedly stroked Anduin’s hair. It was pleasing. At first, when Anduin would do this, Wrathion would just push him off, nowadays he warmed up to this feeling of closeness.

 

“Somewhat. I also know you’re a dork. And a really sore loser”, Anduin said sticking his tongue up at him. He only pulled it back when he had to start breathing with his mouth cause Wrathion pinched his nose.

 

“I’m not a sore loser, you are”, he said before letting go. That only had Anduin chuckling. He didn’t want this to end. He was happy here with Wrathion. Just them two, freedom and,  _ even if a certain dragon won’t admit it _ , love.

 

“Yeah, yeah. You still didn’t prove that you can kiss me without turning red~”, Anduin teased. He knew it won’t happen. This was just friendly teasing after all.

 

“Are you that desperate to get my kisses, my prince? Don’t you have women lining up to get your kisses back home?”, Anduin looked up at Wrathion with slight confusion. Wrathion didn’t bring that up before.

 

“Not really. I was kept under a glass bell. The only girl I met was my advisor’s daughter when I was eleven, she’s in Kul Tiras now and has been since forever ago, not sure what’s her status, then there was a girl in Ironforge, she died, and… I have a dwarf friend here, but that’s all. I don’t quite meet a lot of women, Wrath”, Anduin confessed, remembering people he met, “What about you? I mean, I know your whole dragonflight is dead, but like… What about other dragonflights? Do you have a mate?”. Anduin was watching Wrathion’s face for any change that could indicate his emotions. There was  _ none _ .

 

“I… Want my Dragonflight to die with me. Yeah, having a mate might be nice, but it’s not worth it. My whelps might not be able to resist the call of the old gods”, Wrathion spoke as he laid back, looking into the clouds. Anduin frowned a bit. He moved off of Wrathion and laid on the ground next to him, looking up at the sky as well. “I don’t want Azeroth to have to deal with another  _ Deathwing _ , which is why the dragonflight dying out once I have tried my best to save Azeroth as is, is the best case scenario”, Wrathion didn’t sound believable. Anduin took Wrathion’s hand in his and entwined their fingers together. 

 

“Well, I might not be as good as a  _ mate _ ”,  _ though I wish I could be _ , “But, if we stay friends in the next years, you are free to come to me whenever you need something, even an ear to listen to your gloating”, Anduin said, turning to Wrathion with a wide smile. Wrathion looked at him and made a disgusted face.

 

“Ugh, you’re always so mushy. I fear for the future of Alliance with such a mushy king”, Wrathion said, freeing his hand as he sat back up. Anduin chuckled and wrapped his arms around Wrathion’s waist just to tease him more.

 

“Well, I have a long way till I’m king. I will toughen up by then. But the journey is long, and I have the right to be as I like”, Anduin retorted before letting go and sitting up as well. He really wanted this to last forever. After all, he was finally warming up to him. He actually felt like he had a  _ long-term friend _ .

 

* * *

 

After a while, Anduin got to know a lot about Wrathion, and their day-to-day conversations got somewhat stale. Before it was fun learning how he wanted to help out Azeroth, to get the Horde and Alliance to work together against the common enemy, but after covering that same topic like five times in a row, it got boring. 

 

"Yknow, I wish something would just happen. Hanging out like this in the same three rooms gets, well, boring.", Anduin whined as he laid on the ground looking up at the clouds passing by. Wrathion was currently in his dragon form, using Anduin's abdomen as his personal pillow. In his dragon form, Wrathion was no bigger than an average dog, and obviously just as cuddly. 

 

"Your men literally chose the safest place for you. Nothing ever happens here.", Wrathion spoke. Well, he telepathically communicated? Anduin was never able to explain this. He could hear the voice in his head, but the young dragon's lips weren't moving. 

 

"That's what makes it boring. I want to do something. My body has been healed! I can go have some fun", Anduin was practically whining at this point, but he didn't care. Wrathion and he have ended up whining to each other multiple times during their stay here. 

 

"Then, want to come with me? Kairoz found some island that's like out of time or something like that. It could be fun and fill at least one of our afternoons if not more of them" Wrathion offered as he seemed to be looking directly at Anduin. Anduin thought a bit before nodding. 

 

"Sounds good. Better than being cooped up in here. Plus, if you're already going anyway, I'd get even more bored here", Anduin confessed. Wrathion just laughed at that before changing to his humanoid form, laying on top of the prince. 

 

"So shall we?", Wrathion turned, still on top of Anduin, as they met eye to eye, Wrathion's face just above the blondes. The human just blinked in silence, his eyes slowly getting lost in those piercing ruby ones again. Wrathion was so close… He could just taste those soft lips again. If he just leaned up a bit, he could taste them again. 

 

They were silent for ten seconds, which turned to twenty… Just two teenage boys lost in thoughts and each other's eyes. Neither wanted to move or look away. The time seemed like it has stopped for both of them. Anduin's eyes darted down to Wrathion's lips before back to his eyes, as if a silent question. The dragon didn't do anything, o _ ne second _ ,  _ two seconds _ , the dragon's eyes started to close softly as he seemed to lower his head a bit. 

 

The human prince closed his eyes as well tilting his head a bit. He could hear fast heartbeats. Was it his? Was it Wrathion's? He couldn't tell. He felt Wrathion's breath against his lips.  _ Three seconds _ ,  _ four seconds _ , this was so slow, but he knew the pay off would be great. He could almost feel Wrathion's lips. This wasn't their first kiss, but it felt as meaningful as a first kiss.  _ Five seconds, six seconds,  _ Wrathion's lips have just barely touched his and he already felt like he could melt. There was this jolt through his spine, pleasure, a feeling he didn't feel even when he first kissed Wrathion, in the hot springs. 

 

"Oh that's where you were, kid", those 6 words had Wrathion pulling back instantly. Anduin felt hurt was over him. A second ago he was about to have probably one of the best kisses he has ever had in his life, and now it was ruined. He wanted to glare at this man who appeared, seemingly out of nowhere, but as he rose his look, he just stared. In front of him stood a high elf, dressed in a Grey-golden combination, a gold circlet-like crown floating above his head. "I know that I told you that the Isle isn't going anywhere, but that doesn't mean that you should just take your sweet time with your mate here. You can do that there as well", he kept speaking and Anduin could easily see Wrathion switching from his cuddly side, aside Anduin was the only one aware of, to his business, the sarcastic side that everyone knew. 

 

"We were just about to leave, Kairoz", oh so that's Kairoz… Anduin didn't like him one bit. I mean, okay, the man was hot, handsome, but he stopped Anduin's perfect kiss from happening and he hated him for it. 

 

"I can give you guys a lift there, but shouldn't you introduce me to your  _ mate _ , first?", Anduin felt a blush creeping up his cheeks at that word. As far as he knew of the dragons, a mate was someone close and important to a dragon. It was usually another dragon whom they decided to spend the rest of their lives with, someone they loved deeply. 

 

"You know him, Kairoz. This is Anduin, prince of Stormwind. Anduin, this is Kairoz, a bronze dragon who finds it his job to annoy me. Thankfully he didn't tell anyone else of me", Wrathion's introductions were rather vague. It's easy to tell the dragon didn't want this to happen, ever. 

 

"Prince of Stormwind? In the company of a black dragon? Are you sure that that is wise, your majesty? If I recall, Stormwind already had a problem with black dragons close to their royal family once", Anduin didn't like the tone the bronze dragon was using. He couldn't deny it, Onyxia had caused a lot of problems to Stormwind. He swallowed a bit as he looked at Wrathion, who seemed unaffected by it, then looked back at the bronze dragon. 

 

"That may be true, but I am a good judge of character. I know that Wrathion isn't like his predecessors. He is cured of the old Gods' influence", Anduin spoke firmly. He believed in Wrathion and he wouldn't let anyone sway his mind. The black prince was his friend. Other than his sarcastic nature and know-it-all attitude, he was a good guy. 

 

"Ah, I hope your belief isn't wasted", as he spoke those words, the male transformed into his dragon form, filling up a large space. He was a fully grown dragon, after all. "Climb on, both of you. It's time for a field trip", the blonde looked towards his dark-skinned friend before they both just kinda nodded to each other and began climbing on. 

 

Wrathion sat in front, as Anduin sat behind him and wrapped his arms around his waist. In a way, it was to hold on, but also, it was because he wanted to continue their cuddling from before. "You are way too mushy for a king, Anduin", he heard his friend whisper. 

 

"It's good that I'm not king yet, then", he replied and teasingly placed a peck on the side of Wrathion's neck, just to sort of in a way pay him back for the kiss that was ruined. 

 

* * *

 

Kairoz flew them over the jade forest, in between different natural stone pillars before coasting across the sea, flying close to the sea. Looking to his side, Anduin can see how clear the water was, and all the different creatures swimming in it. 

 

"Don't lean too much. You can fall off", Anduin heard his dragon friend say. He felt warm on the inside knowing that he cared at least that much. 

 

"I won't", he said before leaning back and just enjoying the rest of the flight. Soon, they started noticing an isle appearing out of nowhere. It seemed like a normal island at first, but the prince could feel it in his gut that it wasn't. 

 

Nearing the island, Kairoz flew up in the air again, before continuing to just glide with the wind as they headed to, what seemed to be, some form of a stone structure. As they arrived, Kairoz landed and waited for the two of them to get off before he took his humanoid form again and stretched his limbs a bit. Anduin looked around amazed. There was a lot of different Pandaren around. Each busy with their own thing. Some of them didn't even seem to notice the new arrivals, while others came to greet them. 

 

"Welcome, to the Timeless Isle, my dear princes.", Kairoz spoke as he motioned towards the vast open of the island, "Just be careful, absolutely everything here is dangerous and can kill you. So don't go straying too far from here" 

 

Anduin didn't even listen to his warnings. He already knew this will all be great. 

 

* * *

 

The little part he and Wrathion were able to explore seemed really nice. There were dangerous animals, but none the two of them couldn't take on. "You know, when we're not arguing and stuff, we make a really good team", the blonde prince commented with a smile as they made their way to a bit safer spot. They didn't get too far from the stone structure, only like 500 meters (0.31 miles). They could still see it and had a pretty quick way to it, but they couldn't help themselves from wanting to explore.

 

Well, Anduin couldn't help himself. Wrathion, in a way, was forced to follow. "I do agree, little lion", the dark-skinned boy agreed before leaning against a tree, "Now tell me, why did you really bring me out here, blondy". Well, Anduin knew nothing could escape the black dragon. He went over to him and reached forward, taking his hand. 

 

"I wanted some alone time with you… Because with you I feel like I don't have to put in any shows", the human confessed and he really meant it. He always had to act princely, do this, don't do that… But around Wrathion he could sit with his legs open as wide as he pleased, wear his clothes loosely, not sit upright, and many more. He liked that casual feel a lot. There was no formality, they were just two teenagers having fun together. 

 

"Aww, is the little prince tired of being a prince?", the dragon teased, "Maybe you should just run away forever. Come with me, we'll go around the world, see things you didn't even dream of". As he spoke, Anduin wanted to scream yes. He wanted to feel free like the day he first stepped onto Pandaria soil. He wanted it to just be Wrathion and him, anywhere, alone,  _ together… _

 

_ But _ he knew he couldn't. His father would worry too much, his Auntie would cry, his master would be hurt… He couldn't do it to any of them. "I can't. I want to. I really  _ really  _ do, but I can't", he frowned. He didn't want his time with Wrathion to end, but pretty soon, it will and he'll go back to being a prince, stuck between his four walls. 

 

"You need to be a rebel, like your father before you. Make mistakes, do only what your heart believes to be right for you, for  _ your people. _ ", Anduin was a bit confused by these words. His dad wasn't a rebel in any way, shape or form. 

 

"My dad isn't a rebel. He was broken in two by Onyxia and sent onto Kalimdor where he became Lo'gosh… He never  _ wanted  _ that to happen. He was forced into it", Anduin said, feeling like he needed to protect his father, a man he highly respected, even though he knew to be a bit too brutal.

 

" _ Lo'gosh?  _ I'm not talking about the man who raised you but your real father, Anduin. You have the blood of  _ Arthas Menethil _ in your veins, not that of Varian Wrynn", Wrathion spoke confused. Anduin just stared at him. There was no way, right? His dad is and has always been Varian. He is a Wrynn through and through. After a bit, he started laughing. A slow, awkward laugh. 

 

"Ha, haha, you got me good there, Wrath. There's no way that the late Lich King was my dad. Does that mean that Jaina is my mom?", Anduin asked, wanting to make something out of all this. He just couldn't believe it. 

 

"No, Tiffin Wrynn is still your mother. I don't know the details, you'd have to ask Kairoz. But I mean, with your dad being  _ the  _ Lich King, you and me aren't so different. Both of blood of a man who tried to destroy this planet", Anduin was barely listening to him now. He didn't want to believe this. There was no way he was Arthas's son. 

 

"You're lying. This can't be! My mom loved my father!", Anduin protested. 

 

"Again, I don't know the details, but didn't you ever think your father has brown hair and you are a blonde. And not even dirty blonde, but a pure golden-haired child?", The dragon did make sense but Anduin couldn't take it. Everything he knew, everything he believed just got crushed. 

 

"I…", he had no words. He felt tears welling up in his eyes. He remembered when he got the news that Arthas had died. He never got to meet his real father… But why didn't his dad tell him anything? He treated him like his kin. Did he know? Did Jaina know? He had so many questions. 

 

He didn't even notice Wrathion moving to him before he felt a pair of arms wrap around him and just hold him. "I'm sorry for telling you like this. I thought you knew", he heard the soft voice say, but the words didn't register as he felt a tear roll down his cheek. His whole life was a lie. Then, was this with Wrathion a lie as well? Was the dragon just using him? Using him the way Onyxia tried back when he was a child? Used him the way Nefarian used many  _ many  _ human royals… 

 

He was snapped back to reality as he felt a pair of lips cover his. His face immediately grew red as he looked into ruby eyes that seemed to read him without a problem. 

 

"Good, you're back now. Listen here, no matter who your father is, the important thing is who  _ you _ are. And  _ you _ , Anduin Wrynn, are the prettiest man I've ever met in my life. You are pure and you radiate hope and light. It's what makes people like you. And if you think that people finding out who your real dad is would change this opinion of you? I say  _ fuck _ them. You didn't change how you treated me, even after realizing Deathwing is my grandpa." Wrathion went in a rant and Anduin couldn't help but smile. This was, in a way, the funniest situation he has ever been in. The only remaining black dragon, a guy who tried proving that he is nothing like the  _ Destroyer _ , is here, giving him a pep talk about how being the son of the Lich King is nothing to be ashamed of and if people dislike him for it, he should just prove them different. "And another thing, we should head back cause I fear they might send a search party for us soon", at that Anduin couldn't help but burst out laughing. 

 

"Oh, is the mighty black prince afraid of being found alone with the Alliance prince?", he teased and watched as Wrathion glared at him before it changed into a smirk. 

 

"Well, no, I'm afraid of what might happen if any of the Alliance champions find their lovely prince in the arms of a black dragon, completely charmed by him", Anduin's face heated up again. 

 

"You're really a jerk", Anduin said and the dragon just chuckled before leading them back, making sure to go through the safest parts. 

 

"Oh good, you two are back.", came Kairoz's voice, "the champion is about to help me do some tests, come" 


	15. A dragon's resolve

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This chapter contains scenes and some lines from the book "War Crimes". Just sayin

Wrathion couldn't deny that having another person there to mess with and hang out with was fun. He really enjoyed having Anduin around. Problem was, his plans with Kairoz were not going as planned. The kid was way too pure. There was absolutely no way that he wanted to hurt anyone, even the man who almost killed him. 

 

Day after day, Wrathion realized that he was falling for the prince. He just wanted to have him all for himself, keep him out of anyone's reach and not share him with anyone. He wanted to be the only one who could see that stupid smile the prince wore, hear that lovely laugh… He wanted to monopolize him. Even worse than that was the fact that he knew he could. He knew that if he reached out, offered the boy freedom, he'd say yes. They could be alone together forever. 

 

But a part of him knew, he couldn't do this. No matter how pure and Old God free he was, he would only ruin the boy, dirty his purity. The two of them were like night and day. It would only bring both of them pain if they continued on… 

 

Then why, why did he yearn to kiss him? Why did he feel these tingles in his tummy whenever the boy would so much as hold his hand? But worse than that, why was it becoming harder to pretend he didn't like it? When they went to the Timeless Isle, he really thought he was safe. With so many people around, there was no way he'd kiss Anduin… 

 

Then why, why did he follow him into the wilderness? Why did he have to offer him the one thing he knew the prince craved,  _ freedom _ ? And on top of that, why did he let his mouth run and tell the kid of his true heritage. Now he was faced with a boy unsure of himself, a boy falling apart. In the beginning, this would've been what he wanted. A boy so confused that a few kind words would sway him right into his arms and have him do anything he asked. He could manipulate him the way his predecessors did so many people… 

 

Yet he didn't. Instead, he hugged him, held him close to comfort him. "I'm sorry for telling you like this. I thought you knew", he spoke softly as he held him. Getting no response from him, there was only one thing he could do. He pulled back, tilted the boy's face and leaned in for a kiss. It was chaste, but enough to snap Anduin back from what he could only clarify as a panic attack. 

 

"Good, you're back now. Listen here, no matter who your father is, the important thing is who you are. And you, Anduin Wrynn, are the prettiest man I've ever met in my life", he knew he might regret it, but it was now or never that he gets to open his heart to Anduin and hope he listens, "You are pure and you radiate hope and light. It's what makes people like you. And if you think that people finding out who your real dad is would change this opinion of you? I say  _ fuck them _ . You didn't change how you treated  _ me _ , even after realizing  _ Deathwing _ is my grandpa". Okay, it might've been more of a rant than a pep talk or a confession, but Anduin doesn't get to choose. "And another thing, we should head back cause I fear they might send a search party for us soon", at that he watched the young prince burst out laughing. 

 

"Oh, is the mighty black prince afraid of being found alone with the Alliance prince?", Wrathion leveled him with a glare. He didn't appreciate this, but at least it wasn't the sobby Anduin. 

 

"Well, no, I'm afraid of what might happen if any of the Alliance champions find their lovely prince in the arms of a black dragon, completely charmed by him", Anduin's face heated up again. 

 

"You're really a jerk", the dragon just chuckled. If Anduin believed that, maybe he won't be so hurt in the future. Wrathion lead them back, making sure to go through the safest parts. 

 

"Oh good, you two are back. The champion is about to help me with some tests, what about you two?" Kairoz asked. Wrathion wasn't sure just what this dragon gets from these things he's been doing, but as long as it helped Azeroth, he was not against it. 

 

"Sure. Someone has to make sure you don't break Azeroth", Wrathion spoke uninterested. He actually wanted to have a talk with him. He looked over at Anduin to hear the prince's answer. The golden-haired boy smiled but shook his head. 

 

"I'm gonna stay here. I'm a bit hungry, you people go on your way", the prince said. The young dragon wasn't sure if the human was really okay, but he guessed he might just need some time alone right now. 

 

* * *

 

"As far as I've seen into the future, Garrosh will fail. But, lucky for us, there will be a trial. The thing I'm making here will help out afterward. Your only concern is keeping the prince company, for now. When the time comes, I might need you for more.", Wrathion was barely listening to the older dragon talk. His mind was where his heart was. With Anduin. A part of him wondered if he'd be able to do it to him. To just, up and disappear, lie about where he was going… 

 

If it was anyone but him, he could've easily just smirked and lied through his teeth, but the human prince was just… He couldn't explain it. He could only guess that the  _ light _ that he uses, being the exact opposite of the shadows, and well void, that his family succumbed to, was what was drawing him in. He wanted to be closer to that purity, to hold it close, protect it. 

 

"And then as we pass through the portal--- Wrathion? Wrathion please tell me that you were listening to my plan and not just staring off into the distance.", snapping back to reality, Wrathion was welcomed by a glaring dragon. Well, let's see if he can talk his way out of this one. 

 

"Yes, I was. We wait for a supposed  _ trial,  _ and when it comes close to the  _ verdict _ , I distract people and you open the portal, or whatever it is you do, and we escape with the orc", the whelp spoke. He was winging it, after all, it was roughly what the older dragon spoke of some time before. 

 

"Good", the blonde elf spoke after a couple of seconds, "I won't be around once I'm done on this isle for a few days. There are a few people around the world I must reach out to". The  _ self-proclaimed _ black dragon aspect just nodded his head at that. At least it meant a few more days of being with Anduin. 

 

* * *

 

Except, it was barely two days of silence. The Warchief of the Horde decided that freeing the heart of a dead Old God was a smart plan. This in itself caused an uproar and a painful weap from Azeroth herself. This in itself was a good enough sign for the horde and alliance forces to, having joined forces for their once-every-few-years war picnic something, to begin their siege of the horde capital. 

 

Anduin seemed stressed and worried, Wrathion could barely keep him calm. He could see it in his eyes that he was one step away from joining the battle himself, even though his body has hardly healed. Nevertheless, Wrathion managed to keep him from flying himself to Kalimdor just to join them all. And it was good he did, cause soon enough there was word of it being over and Garrosh being put in chains awaiting trial instead of getting executed. 

 

Hearing of the trial, Wrathion remembered the plan Kairoz and he had made and suddenly felt this weird pang in his chest. For a bit, he couldn't even breath from the pain. He didn't want to, no, he  _ couldn't  _ just leave Anduin, but the place they're going to was much too dangerous for a kid like him. It was for his safety and the safety of Azeroth that he  _ had _ to do this. 

 

* * *

 

As the trial was approaching, Kairoz was at first nowhere to be seen. It was like he fell through the earth. He didn't see any sign of him until the trial itself when he was with another dragon, this one taking the form of a gnome. To make things worse, the horde and alliance weren't the only ones who were in the temple. Dragons came as well. The new Aspect of the Blue, Kalecgos, was sitting with Lady Jaina Proudmoore, Dalaran's Archmage, while the rest of the aspects, their mates and a couple more representatives were all seated in the middle focused on the thing at hand. 

 

Wrathion caught himself looking towards the Alliance side of the makeshift courtroom one too many times. He just didn't want to let that smiley golden-haired boy go. But that was where he belonged, amongst his friends and people he knew. He gripped the edge of his seat as he tried to subside his growing urge to go and hug the prince. Instead, he faced Kairoz and the gnome. A part of him had to wonder, was that Kairoz's mate? For someone as full of himself and proud of being such a fabulous race, dating a gnome looked so weird. 

 

He wasn’t all that interested in what was going down, he was more focused on the plan that Kairoz hardly told him anything about. It was Anduin who invited him, but Anduin didn’t know of his previous plan with Kairoz. Sadly, Wrathion couldn’t sit with Anduin, he was sure anyone from the Alliance would be more than happy to have his head, even more than Garrosh’s. He was here now to wait for the signal from Kairoz and keep Anduin company if he thinks the young prince might need it.

 

* * *

 

After the gruesome show from Draenor that the accuser, High Priestess Tyrande, had shown to the court, everyone was given an hour’s respite. Wrathion, who kept his eyes on Anduin more often than on the scenes in front of him, was just waiting for that. It meant that he could offer him comfort, even for a little while… If the prince is alone.

 

He saw the prince excuse himself from his father and leave the courtroom. He himself followed after a few minutes, not wanting to alert anyone from the alliance side. He just wanted to be with Anduin and offer him some comfort. He found him at one of the points of the temple, silently looking ahead into the beauty of the Kun-Lai Summit. It was beautiful… And he wasn’t talking just about the view.

 

“Do you wish solitude, or may I join you?”, he spoke after a good few minutes of just enjoying the peace Anduin seemed to be in. He wanted to forget about the trial, make Anduin forget about it and just run away together. As Anduin turned towards him with one of the brightest smiles he’s seen, that want only grew. He cursed himself not being a grown dragon.

 

“Of course, though I doubt I’ll be a good company”, Wrathion walked over to him, standing beside him, as he looked over at the vista. It was beautiful in its own way, but he found his preferences were more for the prince beside him.

 

They exchanged their thoughts on the previously seen vision and discussed things, just like always. It was what Wrathion grew to like about the prince the most. He always had something to talk about, to discuss. It was never boring with him around. It was times like this that Wrathion wished he wasn’t a dragon. If he was a normal human or a champion of the alliance, he would have no problem being seen around Anduin. The two of them could’ve even had a happy ending maybe, but alas…

 

“Wrathion? Do you think of us as friends?”, the question surprised Wrathion. What does one answer to this? ‘ _ No, I actually want you as my mate, but we both know that that can’t happen so we’re just lying to ourselves and calling this friendship _ ’? He can’t just say it like that. He tilted his head to one side in thought.

 

“Yes”, he said at last, “As much as I can have a friend at any rate”. This was as much as he could give him. He knew he won’t be around for long. He couldn’t get the boy’s hopes up without knowing for certain when he’ll be returning.

 

“Then… can we just… stay here in comfortable silence for a while? As friends?”, Anduin asked, a sad smile adorning his face. Wrathion hated seeing that. he knew his words probably hurt the prince, but he couldn’t stand giving him false hope. It would be wrong.

 

“Why yes, of course”, Wrathion replied. As Anduin placed his hand on the chains, Wrathion had to do everything in his power to not reach out and hold his hand. Soon, he hoped, soon he will fix Azeroth and then, and  _ only then _ , will he be able to come back to Anduin, a smile on his face, and ask him to be his mate. 

 

* * *

 

The rest of the day passed fairly uneventful. Yeah, the accuser showed horrid scenes of the wrongs Garrosh did, but nothing could scale up to what happened in the vision of the draenei. Wrathion hoped this was it, but sadly, that wasn't the case. Taran Zhu said that it will be continued tomorrow… How long was this gonna last? 

 

Wrathion watched Anduin return with his father and the rest of Alliance to their camp. He sighed a bit before heading to where Kairoz was. He needed at least some information about their plan. 

 

"Oh, if it isn't the black prince? What brings you to my humble abode?", the dragon asked as Wrathion walked into the room. It was a simple room with a bed and a wardrobe. The bronze dragon didn't need much else, nor did he spend that much time there anyway. 

 

"It's about the plan", the black dragon spoke as he closed the door and went to the bed to sit on it, "You shared absolutely no details of it with me. I need to know what we're even doing here and  _ when _ we're doing it". Wrathion didn't have time for any roundabouts. He wanted some straight answers. What, and when. The bronze dragon sighed as he sat down next to Wrathion. 

 

"You're impatient, young one. When the closing statements come is when. As far as I've understood, Garrosh gets his closing statement at the end. That's when. As for what, your job is to distract Chromie, the gnome, on that day. I will take care of the rest." Wrathion watched him in silence before nodding slowly. 

 

"I hope you're right, Kairoz. Azeroth needs us", Wrathion didn't want to speak much. He felt the man rest his hand on his shoulder. 

 

"We will protect it. I will never let the burning legion take over it", those words filled Wrathion with some more determination. This was all for Azeroth's sake. For such a cause he could pause his flirting with Anduin. After all, if there wasn't any Azeroth left, any relationship would be meaningless. 

 

"So, for now, I just wait and sit through the trial?", he asked and the bronze dragon nodded before reaching over and patting him on the top of his head. 

 

"Yes. And don't worry. Everything will go according to plan. And then you'll be able to go back to your prince and live your teenage love", Wrathion didn't like the whole gesture of patting him. He felt like a child, but he didn't move away either. Kairoz was the closest of his kind whom he talked to, after murdering the remaining black dragons. It was someone who slowly earned his trust and with whom he was gonna save this world and everything on it. 

 

* * *

 

Day two of the trial started with Anduin being the first on the stand. Wrathion knew what he'd be asked and he wanted to stop it, but it was out of his power. All he could do is wait for the respite to console him. 

 

Anduin didn't look that shaken on the stand. He was pretty calm, but the black dragon still wished he could be next to him. He didn't have any place in this trial. He was a mere observer. 

 

Watching the vision of Anduin dying made the dragon's heart ache. It was a known ache of losing Anduin. He had felt it a few times whenever he thought about leaving him, now he was watching him actually die. His eyes darted quickly from the vision to Kairoz and he noticed that he was staring back at him. He could see a soft, sad smile curl onto the older dragon's lips. Was it pity? Understanding? He didn't know. 

 

If anything, they might have another talk soon. He didn't want to leave Anduin if there was a chance this might happen a second time to him. The kid went through so much, Wrathion didn't want to lose him. He didn't have him, per se, but he didn't want to lose him either. The kid made him actually happy… Not that he'd ever admitted to that. The human prince didn't need another ego boost. 

 

It didn't surprise Wrathion that Anduin didn't want revenge. He heard all about it many times now. Anduin was not one who'd even think of that. It was that naiveté that Wrathion knew will be the death of the Stormwind prince. 

 

But at the same time, it was that forgiving nature that was what had the boy befriend the last black dragon. A choice, Wrathion was sure, he'd regret by the time this trial was over. 

 

* * *

 

He was looking forward to hanging out with the prince after the second day of the trial, but it seemed that the boy was summoned to keep company to the ex-warchief. Again, the boy was way too forgiving for his good… Maybe when Wrathion leaves him he might realize his wrongs. 

 

Having nothing to do, he just flew back to the tavern in the mists to relax in peace. He didn't want to be bothered by anyone and he wanted to soak into those lovely relaxing hot springs. They reminded him of the first he met Anduin and the way the prince was all over him… Okay, no hot springs. Just relaxing in the peace. 

 

"I hope you're not thinking of quitting your part", he didn't even have to look to see who it was. He was so used to the bronze dragon's voice that he could recognize him anywhere. 

 

"I'm not. Anduin is too naive. I need to protect Azeroth, and he will probably try to befriend the burning legion when they come", he spoke. He didn't need Kairoz questioning his loyalty to the planet. It was what came first. Any other feelings came second. 

 

"Good. The plan is set into motion, the wheels are turning. The prince visiting our little captive warchief is a part of the plan as well. Depending on how long the Accuser decides to drag this, we might finish in a few days, a week, or longer.", Wrathion held back a groan.  _ Longer than a week?  _ He knew that Garrosh had done some bullshit, but could the accuser really drag it on that long? Hopefully not. "Just keep the act of just another neutral eye in the crowd."

 

"I know, I know", Wrathion waved him away. Dealing with Kairoz was in no way peaceful nor quiet. There was silence as he listened to Kairoz walking off.  _ Soon _ . Soon is way too long. 

 

* * *

 

The third day of the trial was, in simple terms,  **_boring_ ** . The High Priestess showed that Garrosh had tortured trolls, big whoop.  _ Oh look,  _ he ordered his men to kill a man who straight up told him to his face that he will betray him and that he does not support him in the slightest. The last man who said that to Wrathion is long dead… And not by the hands of his minions but by his own. 

 

Honestly, at this point, Wrathion was starting to believe that Garrosh wasn't all that much of a bad guy. Yeah, he killed people, imprisoned, and whatnot, but some of those did him a personal wrong. Does the high priestess want to say she's not guilty of similar?  _ Ugh _ , these newer races were so stupid and hypocritical sometimes. 

 

After the day was over, Wrathion wanted to go to Anduin and bore him to death with arguments why Garrosh did nothing wrong, but…The prince seemed to have other plans in mind as he headed to where the dungeons were. Was he meeting with Garrosh again? Did he forget about Wrathion? Wasn't he the one to just jump onto him and cover him with  _ love _ and all that mushy bullshit? Stupid mortals and stupid cute princes. Yeah, well, maybe Wrathion will ignore him next time. Just turn the other way, leave without saying a word… 

 

Wrathion just wanted to break something, but he knew he shouldn't break anything at this temple, out of respect for Xuen and the other Celestials. Why wasn't this elsewhere where he could just destroy things during his hissy fit? He didn't mind the rain pouring down, it was a normal thing after all. As he walked around, arguing with himself as if arguing with the human prince, when he stumbled upon a scene he didn't expect. 

 

It was the new aspect of the Blue, Kalecgos, together with his mate, the human archmage Jaina Proudmoore. He was close enough to hear some of their conversation, but also far enough for them not to notice his presence easily. 

 

"How much?", the woman asked. Her voice sounded so hurt. Wrathion wondered what Anduin would have thought if he saw his 'auntie' like this. Would he run to comfort her? Let them be? 

 

"I don't know yet. I won't know until I see who we are at the end of all this. If you keep hanging on to this hatred, Jaina… it will devour you. And I couldn't bear to watch… to lose you to that. I don't want to lose you, Jaina!" the aspect spoke. Then there was silence for a bit. Listening to them, Wrathion couldn't help but think of his own relationship with Anduin. If Kalecgos and Jaina were having troubles in paradise, what could be said about him and Anduin? 

 

He quickly shook the thoughts out. No, they were just friends… That was all Anduin wanted after all. Taking another look at the couple, Wrathion stuck his tongue out in disgust. The two were holding each other close and kissing. Yeah, maybe he was more jealous than disgusted, but those two could keep these things private. Wrathion didn't need other dragons in happy relationships with their mates when the one person he wants as  _ his _ mate is now in some dungeon talking to a ruthless ex-warchief who wants horde dominion over Azeroth. 

 

_ Yes,  _ he was still salty. 

 

* * *

 

Day four, Wrathion napped in his seat. The trial was growing more and more boring. Each day the accuser brings up someone, shows things garrosh did and rinse and repeat. There was nothing interesting. He wouldn't have come if it wasn't for having to know the signal… Maybe he could just leave Left or Right to wait for it and then contact him, but Kairoz would probably nag him about it. At least he gets a nice place to nap. 

 

Day  _ five _ , however, turned out to be way more interesting than Wrathion thought upon his entry to the court. 

 

"The Accuser summons Alexstrasza, the Life-Binder", as those words hit his ears, Wrathion's eyes widened. There was an exciting feeling growing in his stomach. He turned over to see the dragon he hated the most in this world slowly make her way down. People left and right were standing up as a way to show respect to her, but not Wrathion. He sat down. His eyes followed her every move before he reached Kairoz. Kairoz first bowed his head respectfully, but when he knew no one was looking, Wrathion saw the tiny hint of a smirk on his face. 

 

Oh, this will be good. This will be  _ great.  _ He will finally see her suffer after all that the red dragonflight did to his mother, all that they did to  _ him _ . This might not be direct payback, but it's enough for him, for  _ now.  _

 

Listening to the answers she gave, Wrathion was glad that she herself felt that amount of pain, but it made him wonder why…  _ Why  _ did she then order her flight to do the very  _ same  _ to his mother? To torture her, force her to lay eggs, for what? To cleanse one black dragon egg from the old God influence? It was not right. There must've been a better way… 

 

Yet, he felt bad for her. He could feel her pain through all this… But he pushed that feeling deep down. He knew that if the red dragonflight could get their hands on him, they would. And then they'd just continue their experiments. 

 

"I have a final question. If one of the selfsame orcs who so tormented you, who killed your children while they were still in their shell, were to come to you today and ask for forgiveness… what would you do?", the question surprised Wrathion, but he was more surprised at himself for wanting to hear the answer. The Life-binder was silent for a bit before her smile slowly grew. 

 

"I would forgive him, of course", Wrathion wanted to feel relief from this. He wanted to feel like they could accept him back. But he didn't. He felt hatred, anger… These were all  _ lies _ . The Life-binder is just as guilty as Garrosh. Why isn't  _ she  _ on trial for all that  _ she  _ has done to his dragonflight, to his mother, and most importantly, to  _ him _ . 

 

Wrathion could hardly hold himself back. Once Taran Zhu announced it was the end of the day, Wrathion was the first to storm out. He sent a glare towards Alexstrasza, one full of pure, unfiltered hate, as he was passing next to them. Once out, he quickly stormed off to the most open area he could find, took back his original dragon form and flew into the sky and then towards the Isle of Giants. He made sure to fly above the clouds so that he could let out roars and flame without alerting many people below him. He needed to get rid of all this rage. How dares she speak of forgiveness when her people used him as a lab rat! 

 

She will _pay_. They _will all pay_. As soon as he has grown, he will make them all pay. 


	16. The dragon's choice

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Disclaimer like last time: Some scenes were taken from the "War Crimes" novel, which I do not own.

As the sixth day of the trial began, Wrathion still felt on edge about yesterday. He didn't want to even look at the other dragons, which meant he couldn't look at Anduin either as Kalecgos was sitting there. He hated this. Why did they all have to come and ruin his vacation in Pandaria?? As soon as everything is over, he was so getting even further away from everyone and everything. 

 

The Accuser and defender seemed to be in some argument or something before she summoned some other Tauren. And put him on the stand. Whoopie, what vision was she gonna show now? Garrosh abusing Tauren. He didn't care. He glanced over to where Anduin was sitting. The boy was still so innocent over there. He wanted to ruin him, but also keep him pure. 

 

He didn't move his eyes from the young prince for a while. He didn't care about the Tauren businesses. That was, until he heard Baine's voice say two simple, innocent, yet oh so heavy sentences. 

 

"We will seek out the woman Thrall trusted. We will go to  _ Lady Jaina Proudmoore _ ", his head snapped down to see the vision of four different Tauren talking, only seconds before chaos descended upon the courtroom. 

 

This was all oh so wondrous. Even learning that Anduin went out of his way to help out the enemy didn't surprise the young dragon. After all, the kid was happily befriending a black dragon, what's a Tauren chieftain in comparison to that? 

 

* * *

 

As the day was finished, Wrathion watched as Anduin and Jaina followed after Varian. He could tell that  _ that  _ won't be a short talk, which gave him enough time to fly to the tavern and back. He wanted to help distract Anduin's thoughts with a game, one of many that the two played. 

 

Upon return, it took him a bit to find the boy on the beach as he flew down towards him. Seeing him react all cautious, Wrathion just felt like laughing. He supposed the prince didn't expect his arrival. 

 

"Care for company?" he asked, still in the air. Well, he was hovering a few yards over the prince's head and descending slowly. 

 

"You know, Jaina and my father would just as soon I not talk to you anymore, so by all means, please  _ do  _ come down and keep me company", Wrathion didn't need more than that to swiftly land and transform into his human form.

 

Just being next to Anduin like this had a calming effect on Wrathion. He really grew almost addicted to being around this boy. After a bit of chat, and a promise to, in the future, take him to the ends of the Azeroth for adventures, just for the two of them to enjoy, Wrathion pulled the gift he had for Anduin in the satchel. It was  _ Jihui _ , a Pandaren game whose goal was to have both parties in a balance, one of Anduin's favorite. 

 

It was also one of the rare games that Wrathion did not alter the rules so that he'd always win. They spent a long time playing the game and Wrathion could see the soft smile finding its way back on to Anduin's lips. It, in turn, got him smiling as well. This was how it should be. Just the two of them, alone, enjoying themselves. 

 

"I wish you could stay with me forever", Anduin muttered as they took a break from the game to just lay down and look at the stars. They were so shiny and beautiful. 

 

"Well, I can promise you that I will stay for your whole life, but I can't promise if I'll take care of your children for you as well. I'm not a babysitter.", Wrathion felt a pang in his chest just thinking of Anduin with offsprings.  _ No _ ! He'd never hand him over to some girl. She wouldn't know how to treat him right. 

 

"Even if I ended up having children, I wouldn't want to share you with them. You're mine", a smirk grew on Wrathion's face as he heard those words. Did he even realize what he said? 

 

"I'm  _ yours _ ? Since when, young lion? We're not mated, nor did you in any way dominate me into submission. If anything,", as he spoke, he climbed on top of Anduin, pinning his arms and legs down as he looked him straight in the eyes, "You're  _ mine _ ". There was silence after he spoke that. Looking into those lovely cerulean eyes, Wrathion couldn't help but slowly lean down.  _ One second. Two seconds.  _ He moved one of his hands to Anduin's chin, tilting it up as he kept leaning in.  _ Three seconds Four seconds. Five seconds.  _ Their lips were almost touching. 

 

"I wouldn't mind being yours, Wrath… As long as you stay with me",  _ six seconds. Seven seconds.  _ Those words made Wrathion's heart skip a beat as he could feel the prince's breath against his lips.  _ Eight seconds.  _ He closed his eyes.  _ Nine seconds.  _ He closed the gap, his lips covering Anduin's. 

 

It was so soft at first.  _ Innocent.  _ But that didn't last long. He moved his other hand to cup the prince's face more. In turn, he felt the prince's hands on his chest. Was he gonna push away? Instead of pushing away, the hands slid up and around the young dragon's neck as he was pulled in into a deeper kiss. Their lips were clashing as the two just took their time to explore what this was like. It was a new feeling for both of them. 

 

He wasn't sure how long it lasted, but when they pulled away, they were both blushing and panting. "As soon as I grow up, I'm so kidnapping you out of your chambers and taking you far away, no matter if you're a prince or a king at that time.", Wrathion said, in between breaths.

 

"I'll wait. And then we can be together", Anduin spoke. Wrathion smiled softly before nuzzling his head into Anduin's neck. The scent was calming him down. He had forgotten all about his previous hatred towards the other dragonflights. 

 

"Till death do us apart", Wrathion whispered softly into his neck. If only this moment could truly last forever. 

 

* * *

 

The next day Wrathion wasn't so interested in the trial. This time the witness was lady Jaina herself, a strong woman filled with hatred for the horde. She would've made a great target was it not for the watchful eye of Kalecgos. 

 

Glancing over towards Anduin, he could see the boy concentrating on the events that went down in Theramore, the destruction of the city and death of Rhonin in the end. He couldn't blame Jaina for her hatred. Anyone would hate the horde after surviving something like that. 

 

Day eight, however, was much more interesting as King Varian Wrynn was called to the stand. Wrathion knew some of the things the current king has done, but this also opened his mind some more. After all, who'd expect that Varian infiltrated a city and threatened to kill an unarmed woman only in her nightgown? Oh, that was so interesting. 

 

But more importantly, the trial was almost over. Tomorrow would be the final day. Tomorrow the plan will be executed. He caught Kairoz's eye and gave him a soft nod. He was ready. 

 

* * *

 

Even before the trial began on the ninth and final day, Wrathion was in the temple before it even began. He was restless. Kairoz told him that the plan was to kidnap Chromie during the 2-hour respite. It was then that it will all go down. 

 

Finally. After nine  _ long  _ days, it's all finally going down. The young dragon was restless in his seat. The Accuser and the Defender couldn't go through their final statements any slower in his opinion. It was just going on and on and  _ on  _ about the same things that everyone saw during the last 9 days. 

 

Once the Fa'shua called for the respite, Wrathion felt tingles down his body. It was here. It was  _ now _ . One by one, people were leaving the courtroom, in the end, Kairoz and Chromie would be the only ones left inside. Wrathion left himself not to look too suspicious, but instructed his two guards, Left and Right, on what to do. After all, why get his hands dirty when he has trained rogues working for him? 

 

He was thinking of keeping Anduin company. It was the last he'd see of the boy for some time at least. As he walked around some to try and find him, he noticed the boy speeding towards the dungeons.  _ Is he seriously going to spend time with Garrosh? _ He clenched his fists, trying to stop himself from punching something or someone, as he turned around and stomped off.  _ Fine, see if I care. If that orc is more important then go and have him carry you on his back or something.  _

 

Jealousy was an ugly thing, but did Wrathion care? Not one bit. He had come close to telling Anduin about the plan multiple times, each time managing to stop himself only cause he thought Anduin might try stopping him. All he wanted was to spend time on healthy and happy Azeroth with this golden boy and what does he do? Goes to the orc who almost killed him to keep him company. It was that jealousy that decided it for him. He was leaving. And Anduin? Anduin can come looking for him if he really liked him that much. Who cares about that perfect smile and dreamy eyes?  _ No one, that's who.  _

 

* * *

 

As the respite was coming to a close, Left met up with him to tell him that they have successfully caught the dragon in the form of a gnome. She didn't even see it coming. Wrathion smirked and nodded. Everything was proceeding as planned. He didn't go to the courtroom this time as he was needed on the outside to make sure Chromie can't mess with their plan. 

 

As the trial was back in order, with Garrosh out of his cell, Wrathion sent his two bodyguards down there to put Chromie inside instead. The prison was fairly well guarded and hard to escape, even if the guards were knocked out for a time being. 

 

He didn't feel like getting involved any more with this and just waited for Kairoz to summon his portal and take them away, but then… He Caught a glimpse of golden-hair running towards the dungeons and, without thinking, he followed suit. He had to keep his cool, he made his choice. Azeroth always came first. 

 

* * *

 

It was in many ways hurting him to do this, but he knew what he had to do. Anduin, as the future king, had the duty to keep his kingdom safe, but for Wrathion, the  _ kingdom _ was Azeroth itself. He had to protect her. 

 

" _ This  _ is keeping Azeroth safe?", the young prince was gesturing to the chained up guards. Wrathion should've known that the kid won't understand. You couldn't always do  _ rightful  _ things to save everyone. What even was  _ rightful _ these days? 

 

"In this case, I assure you, the end does justify the means. It is my deep hope that one day you will understand. And on that day, you and I will face a terrible enemy. Perhaps we shall even do so as brothers", just by looking at Anduin, Wrathion could tell that his words weren't reaching him. It was that Light of his. His purity and naiveté. 

 

"You don't have to do it this way.",  _ oh, but dear prince, I do,  _ "Tell me what's going on. We can work together. We can find some way to---". Wrathion couldn't let the kid go on. He was on a tight schedule and explaining himself can always come afterward. Maybe even in a couple of years after things get better. 

 

"Farewell for now, young prince" he raised his hand and watched as with one swift strike Right had the kid fall unconscious. She gently laid him down before stepping on over to Wrathion, Left dropping her stealth as well. 

 

"What are we to do now, sir?", the human asked. He could tell that she felt bad for doing so to Anduin. At some point in time, he was her rightful prince after all. 

 

"We go to the courtroom. Garrosh should be finishing his monologue right about now. We need to catch our one-way ticket to the past", Wrathion said as he headed up the stairs. It pained him to leave Anduin as he was, but this shouldn't deter him from his choice. Azeroth was the only thing that should matter. 

 

As they reached the main area of the temple where the makeshift courtroom was, Wrathion could see all hell breaking loose. With a simple motion of his wrist, his two bodyguards and himself took on stealth as they silently moved in just as Kairoz pushed the Vision of Time off the table. 

 

The three of them made their way to where the bronze dragon was and entered through the portal only seconds before alternative heroes of Azeroth began coming through the portal. 

 

* * *

 

Stepping out of the timeways portal, Wrathion was greeted by a beautiful landscape, an elf smirking and a confused orc

 

"So, this is our main point of operation now? It will take some time to get me some good connections around here", Wrathion commented causing the two to turn towards them as the portal slowly closed behind them all, leaving them no way back, at least as much as they knew. 

 

"You won't need your connections, young one. Our orc friend here is the one we'll need to make contact with other orcs here and, in time, gather an army to take to Azeroth, conquer all who have wronged him and have the power to fight against anyone who thinks they can take over our planet.", Kairoz's words didn't make Wrathion any better. Anduin was among those people and he didn't want to see him hurt. 

 

"As long as this protects Azeroth, I'm in", he said simply before glancing around, "Now, if you'll ever excuse me, I'd like to go sightseeing a bit", with that he took on his dragon form and flew away, his two bodyguards stealthing and walking away, leaving Kairoz and Garrosh to themselves. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Now with the novel part out of the way, we can return to Anduin's teenage anxieties starting next chapter


	17. How to deal witha  broken heart

There was only one thing worse than death for a teenager and that was a  _ broken heart _ . Anduin, that day, understood why exactly. 

 

Everything was going fine ever since he met Wrathion. He fell in love, had that love returned, he was  _ happy _ . But he couldn't even imagine that it wouldn't last all that long. He was even thinking of introducing him to his father. But on the last day of the trial, when he was ready to let that all go and enjoy his life with Wrathion in Stormwind, Wrathion betrayed him. 

 

Not only did he knock him out, but he also imprisoned Chromie right beforehand and helped Garrosh escape. On top of that, his actions also caused the death of the 2nd most important person in Anduin's life: Jaina Proudmoore. Luckily, Chi-ji helped resurrect the archmage, so everything turned out fine. Through a heated discussion, Anduin managed to talk his dad into letting him stay one more day in Pandaria, under the pretense of healing his bones. 

 

But it wasn't physical healing he was looking for. It was emotional. "Hit me with your strongest tea", Anduin exclaimed as he sat at the bar, setting a couple of gold coins on the smooth wood, "And keep 'em coming". He wasn't allowed to drink alcohol, but drinking tea was fine and he was gonna use that. He already learned that some teas were strong enough to provide a feeling similar to being drunk, so it worked perfectly fine for him. He just wanted to forget this pain he felt. 

 

The older Pandaren looked at him confused before pouring him a cup of green tea. Anduin didn't want to explain himself. He wanted to forget. All the touches, kisses, laughs…  _ No!  _ He said he was gonna stop thinking about it. 

 

As he took the first sip of tea, he felt himself relax a bit. Sadly it was only his body that relaxed as his mind went straight back to thinking about Wrathion. 

 

Why did he have to leave? Was everything a lie? Did their kisses mean nothing? Wrathion was a black dragon after all… If there was one thing they did it was lie and deceive people. Why was he so stupid to fall for that sexy smirk… And those lovely ruby eyes… And those cute little nubby horns he hid under his turban… And the cute cuddly side he had… 

 

Anduin slammed his head onto the bar. He had to get Wrathion out of his mind, but this wasn't working. He pulled his head back and looked towards the confused panda. Should he explain himself? No, probably not. He drank some more of the tea before pushing the cup towards the bartender. 

 

"Refill", he said and the panda nodded and poured him a second cup of steaming hot tea and passed it back. 

 

Looking at the steam coming off from the cup, Anduin thought back to when wrathion showed him his fire breath. He had steam coming from his mouth for a few minutes afterward and looked like one hell of a smoker. What would a kiss then feel like? Hot? Ashy? He would've liked to know… 

 

He slammed his head against the bar again.  _ Get out! I don't wanna think about you!  _ He was mentally screaming at the Wrathion in his head, but it wasn't working. The dragon just kept coming back. First just his face, then his cocky smile, then that glint in his eyes… "Sir, are you alright?", he heard the bartender ask. Raising his head, he looked up at him. 

 

" _ No _ , I'm not. My first crush turned friend turned maybe boyfriend  _ I don't know anymore _ , went off and released a  _ fucking _ war criminal and, in a way indirectly, killed my  _ aunt _ and almost destroyed a part of a temple and he's gone and I never got any answers from him and I just wish he'd die and burn in hell cause he's such a fucking bastard he deserves to  _ die _ ", Anduin felt a drop his his hand, a sting in his throat becoming worse. It was like he was choking on something. His chest hurt, his eyes started clouding up…He knew this feeling well… He didn't want to feel like this about Wrathion. Wrathion didn't deserve that he sheds tears for him. 

 

"Ah, umm, h-here, try this  _ tea _ ", the bartender slipped him a new cup. Anduin reached for it with shaky hands and brought it to his lips. The taste was sweeter than green tea and there was… There was a weird sting whenever he swallowed… And an aftertaste… He just blamed both on his sadness. 

 

"Thank you, good sir… You're really great, yknow", Anduin said trying to smile as he took a bigger sip of it. There was a burning in his throat, but there always was one when you're drinking hot beverages, right? 

 

"Yeah, of course", Anduin just nodded as he drank more. 

 

"I mean, how can someone just… Waltz into your life, give you a whole  _ hey you're like super awesome and stuff, btw your dad is not who you think it is, run away with me _ story and then just up and disappear one day without a warning.", downing the rest of the drink, Anduin pushed the glass forward. The bartender poured the colorful liquid in again and Anduin continued. "Like, he's so stupid, and like self-absorbed, he doesn't know how to properly speak with people, friends, he can't read signs that someone  _ likes  _ him, even when they  _ fucking  _ **_make out_ ** with him. He has lovely red eyes, like super nice but he's also a liar and a cheat. And I bet he has like 5 different people he's lying to right now cause he's a crook"

 

Anduin's head was filled with Wrathion again. Wrathion holding him, Wrathion kissing him, Wrathion doing naughty things to him that never really happened but if they did and his dad found out Wrathion would now be on his way to a certain death… "Why is he such an idiot? I could've given him anything! I could've made him happy… He made me happy, I loved him…" he didn't care how he looked right now. Teary? Ugly? None of it mattered. He just wanted his friend to give a proper explanation to him and come back. He'd accept him back. Maybe hit him a few times but he'd accept him back… 

 

"Okay, maybe I shouldn't have given that to--" the bartender tried to speak but Anduin wasn't listening. 

 

"I'm fine! Why wouldn't I be fine? It's not like I had my heart broken, or my feelings played with. Y'know, maybe I should just not date ever. I'll just marry some girl, have an heir and case closed. Everyone's happy", Anduin spoke, taking a few breaks to take more of this wonderful tea the man has served him. There was just something about it that he couldn't put his finger on. 

 

"I think you've had enough--"

 

"Hell yes, I've had enough. Enough of his bullshit. Y'know, if he was here, right now, I'd punch his face. Right into that condescending smirk of his. Oh, he thinks he knows eeeeeeberything just cause he's a dragon and cause his friend has seen the past and the future… Well, let me tell you one thing mister smarty-pants: I am a prince, okay? I don't need to know  _ everything,  _ that's what my advisors are for. I am here to look pretty, be strict and fight wars,  _ diplomatically _ ", his head hit the bar again as he let out a long groan.

 

He caught a glimpse of the panda reaching for his cup, so he instinctively pulled it back. Sitting up fast, he felt his head spinning a little, but he didn't care. He just quickly downed the remainder of the liquid, feeling the burn in his throat much stronger than before. "Oh no", we're the last he remembers hearing as everything just grew black. 

 

* * *

 

Feeling the light warm his face, he groaned. It was too early to wake up. He moved around slightly before he felt pain strike his back after a loud  _ thud _ . He opened his eyes as he looked up. He was no longer in the bed. He was on the ground… 

 

And as he tried to move, his bones ached all over. He wasn't sure how he got here. Last night he was drinking tea… Trying to forget Wrathion… And then it's all black. He wanted answers, but at the same time was happy to never learn what happened that night. 

 

"Ah, you're up, young prince. It's time for us to make our way home.", it was one of the soldiers that were ordered to keep an eye on him. 

 

"I'll be there in a minute", he responded as he slowly got up to his feet. He felt his muscles cramp up, but that didn't stop him from moving to at least sit up on the bed. Once he was seated, he summoned light as he pressed his hand to his chest and let it seep through his body. 

 

After he felt the pain go numb, he dressed and headed out to meet his guards. Neither of the two mentioned anything about last night, which was great for the prince. He  _ really  _ didn't want to explain himself. 

 

* * *

 

Arriving in Stormwind, he was greeted by Varian. He had decided during the trial that he was not gonna tell him that he knows about who his real parents were, or well real  _ father _ . After all, Varian was here for him for  _ most of _ his 15 years of life. As far as anyone is concerned, Anduin is a Wrynn and his father is Varian. Nothing will ever change that. Especially not lying, cheating, black dragons. 

 

"Welcome back, son. I'm glad to have you back", the smile on Varian's face seemed sincere. Anduin felt like crying cause there was still a part of him that thought that Wrathion could be right. He didn't want it to be true. Varian was his dad. 

 

"I'm happy to be home, dad. I might just take a break from adventuring for a while", Anduin spoke and chuckled. After almost dying twice, watching his other self die, and watching Jaina die, he really looked forward to the peaceful, uneventful halls of the keep. 

 

"We'll see how well you hold onto that, son", Varian chuckled and opened his arms as Anduin gladly walked over to him and hugged him. This is how things should be. 

 

* * *

 

**_Meanwhile, elsewhere…_ **

 

* * *

 

' _ With hair as gold as sun,  _

_ And eyes as blue as sky,  _

_ You keep falling down _

_ The rabbit hole of my heart.' _

 

He didn't have to think much as the words came to him naturally. Writing them down almost deafened the voices of an elf and an orc discussing things not that far from him. 

 

' _ The way your smile _

_ Looks upon your face,  _

_ I can just stare for a while,  _

_ 'cause on you, it looks the best'  _

 

"I'm telling you, all we need is to stop your father from drinking the demon blood and the perfect horde will be at our hands", the elf sounded pissier than before. It's almost like  _ an orc _ who was convicted of multiple  _ murder _ charges didn't bat an eye at what a pretty boy thinks. 

 

"You think it's that easy? Do you think they'd listen to you over one of theirs offering them power?", the orc was uninterested, probably questioning if this was really better than if he was to stay on Azeroth and deal with whatever his  _ punishment  _ would've been. 

 

' _ On those soft lips _

_ I wish to plant a kiss,  _

_ Maybe even two or more  _

_ Cause of it I'll never bore'  _

 

"You're here to be the one to tell them to stop. Plus I wasn't planning on appearing as a race they have yet to see.", there was a soft  _ whoosh _ sound. Raising his head annoyed, the last living black dragon saw the elf had now turned into an orc. 

 

"Can you two keep it down, I'm trying to write something", he spoke, sending a glare towards the two bickering adults. They were disturbing him and destroying his  _ creative inspiration.  _

 

"What? We're discussing tactics here. If it's bothering you, you move away", the dragon assuming an orc shape spoke. Wrathion thought about it before shrugging as he packed his things and then got up. 

 

"I might as well. Call me when you need me… Or when we can return to Azeroth", as he finished speaking, he assumed his original dragon shape and flew off. He wanted to find himself some silent cave to enjoy peace and quiet. 

 

Luckily enough, he found one soon enough, uninhibited it seemed and landed in there. Getting back into his humanoid form, he sat back on the ground, took his notebook out again and continued writing. 

 

' _ I just hope you still like me back _

_ And don't think I'm such a snake'  _

 

As he finished those lines, he skimmed through the poem and nodded proudly to himself. It was just as he wanted it. Smiling a bit at it, he crumbled it into a ball. With a simple flick of his wrist, he tossed it into the air and used his fire breath to incinerate it. After watching the ash fall gently to the ground, he turned back to his book and started writing a second one. 

 

' _ Every night that you stay alone _

_ I know your mind is filled with me _

_ I wish that with you I could be _

_ Cause you're better than anything I've known _ ' 

 

Wrathion felt a weird watery sensation in his eye, but after rubbing it gently, it went away.  _ Weird.  _ He shrugged it off as he let his mind drift off towards the prince he left in Pandaria. 

 

' _ I know my sorry's not enough  _

_ And I know I'm not worth forgiving _

_ But sleeping alone is tiring  _

_ So won't you again be my cream puff?'  _

 

Writing some of these lines was really embarrassing. The only good thing was that no one will ever read them… Especially not Anduin. If the prince was to read this, Wrathion would die of embarrassment… Thank Light the Vision of time was destroyed and there was no other known device that could peer into the past and reveal moments. 

 

_ 'I didn't know I was so lucky  _

_ When I held you in my arms _

_ Your innocence is just one of your charms _

_ Another is that you're so plucky.'  _

 

Looking over the text, he smiled to himself before ripping the page out and doing with it as he did before. He leaned back and stared through the cave opening. Outside was so  _ new _ and so unlike Azeroth. He let out a soft sigh before walking up to the cave entrance and looking far into the wild. 

 

He could almost see Anduin with his smile as he looked around, smiling as he explored this new place, just like he looked in Pandaria… "I miss you, Anduin", he spoke to no one in particular. It just felt good to let it off his chest. With a soft sigh, he took on his dragon form and flew back to where he left Kairoz and Garrosh. The old nutcases should've finished with their discussion already. 

 

Arriving at the spot, Wrathion was shocked. At first, he didn't see anyone, but then he noticed the corpse. He recognized it as Kairoz's new orc form. Just what happened here? Looking around, there were no signs of Garrosh anywhere. Did the orc betray them? Eh, this was out of his jurisdictions. Now he was stuck here until horde and alliance find their way here… And hopefully, it's the horde and alliance of his time and not the past. 


	18. Between Humans and Elves

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I apologize for the late upload, things got hectic, I ended up writing a Rommath/Aethas fanfic once I lost inspiration for this for a couple of days (you can check that out if ya fancy it)
> 
> updates might end up every two weeks or so as I'm getting p busy irl. Apologies in advance.

After his return to Stormwind, for a while, Anduin really did as he said. He didn't leave the keep at all, he accompanied his father to meetings and, at times, practiced the use of light in his own chambers. Varian didn't seem to question him, which Anduin was glad for. 

But, as days passed on, Anduin realized that… Spending time doing nothing is, frankly, boring. There was absolutely nothing going on in the keep. Even the meetings were mostly just tax-related and about helping some farmers here and there. No excitement anywhere. 

That was until news came from the Blasted Lands. The portal that leads to Outland seemed to act up. The mages settled there called upon heroes big and small to come as a defensive power. Anduin was thinking of going at first, but the ache in his body and the frown on his father's face told him otherwise. 

This one he could sit out of. He decided to, instead, spend days practicing with the void a bit on the side. He tested on some small animals and realized that on them there was no such effect as when he used it on different humanoids. Well, that's at least when it came to mind control. Everything else had a strong effect on them as well.

He wished there was a way to train his void powers on humans, but at the same time, he didn't want to hurt any humans just for the sake of training. At the end of the day, he always ended up on the same spot, summoning the light and training in the art of healing. 

* * *

  
Some days after the mess st the dark portal, Anduin was with his father at a meeting. As the meeting was coming to an end, a messenger came, delivering the news from  _ Draenor.  _ King Varian Wrynn was being summoned to join the troops on the battlefield. As Anduin looked up at his father, he saw the man looking at him worried, so he just smiled. 

"You should go, dad. I'll keep everything  _ and  _ everyone here in control", Anduin said with a reassuring smile. He didn’t need his father worrying about the situation in Stormwind. Anduin was old enough to be able to deal with some problems. Not to mention that Varian’s advisors were still in charge of everything. All in all, nothing could go wrong.

Varian still looked reluctant. Well, Anduin couldn’t blame him. After watching Jaina die on Garrosh’s trial and both of them almost losing their own lives as well, this wasn’t a simple choice to make.

“I promise I will be here when you come back, dad. Nothing will happen to me. I’m not a little child anymore. I’m a grown man”, with this, Anduin puffed out his chest proudly. He wasn’t gonna look any less proud than he sounded. Sadly, it only got him a chuckle from his father.

“Yeah, yeah, just don’t get over your head, little  _ man _ .I’ll try not to stay there for too long. And when I get back, we’re sparing so I can see just how much of a man you are”, Varian was still laughing as he rustled Anduin’s hair. The prince couldn’t help but smile at the gesture. How could he ever think that this wasn’t his father?

“But don’t be mad when you lose!”, Anduin called after him as Varian moved with some of the army men towards a portal that opened. Anduin watched them pass through as his heart ached. He was worried about his father, but he knew he should trust him. There was no way his dad will die in some unknown faraway place, right? His dad was too strong for that.

* * *

 

A week after his father left, Anduin regretted letting him leave. Being a king was way too troublesome. His mind would drift off, think about the boy behind his broken heart and then he'd be snapped back to reality by one of those advisors telling him to focus. Genn Greymane was the most understanding of the bunch. He often let Anduin off a little before the meeting ends after everything was mostly agreed upon. 

One time when he was left like that, he returned to the throne room to see if anyone needed to speak with the king or the prince. 

"Your majesty, you have a weird couple visiting you", one of the guards mentioned as Anduin sat down onto the throne. 

"Weird? Is it Lady Jaina and her… consort?" he asked, really unsure how to exactly call Kalecgos. Were they dating? Engaged? Married? He wasn't sure of the details. 

"No, your majesty. It's a blood elf death knight with a human companion. They say they need to speak with you. Should we let them in?" Anduin was confused by this. He was sure he didn't know any blood elves. Was it Lor'themar? No, he wouldn't have come to the human capital personally... 

"Let them in. I will speak with them" he said finally as he trained his eyes towards the entrance. He was a bit excited to see just who has come. 

The guard nodded and headed towards the exit to call for the two to be brought in. A couple of minutes passed before two figures came in through the doorway. On one side there was a female blood elf in full bluish-gray plate armor with, what seemed to be, dragon skulls on each of her shoulders. She didn't seem to be carrying a helmet on, as her icy blue hair was let down. The human beside her was dressed in an ochre and white robe with some golden details. He seemed to have a yellowish-golden circlet floating above his head. 

The two were a rather odd couple. And it was even odder what they'd want from the King of Stormwind, or well the Prince, but let's not get into the details now. "Welcome, dear guests. What brings you to me on this fine day?", he asked, trying to keep a smile on his face. The blood elf bowed and after a bit, the human followed suit. 

"Your highness, I am here both on a diplomatic mission and asking a personal favor of you.", the elf began before taking a sealed scroll out of her bag and holding it out towards the prince. Even from far away, he could see a smidge of gold in the red wax used to seal it. He could tell right off that it was from a higher up in Silvermoon, most likely Lor'themar himself. "The Regent Lord of Quel'thalas, Lor'themar Theron, is inviting you, prince Anduin, to the opening of a new bar in Silvermoon City. You can bring guards with yourself, but the Regent Lord has promised you total and complete security. Lady Vereesa Windrunner has also been invited to this gathering and is allowed to bring a couple of sentinels with herself." A guard picked up the scroll from her hands and carried it over to the prince who, for now, just put it aside, without even looking at the contents of it. 

"And what was this  _ personal  _ favor you asked of?" Anduin asked as he sat up a bit straighter on the throne. It felt empowering for a 15-year-old boy to sit on the throne and ask questions like this. 

"The personal favor is…", as she spoke, she pushed the human next to her upfront, "To take care of this guy. He's really cute and nice and he tried to get into Orgrimmar looking like a human. In other words, he's one dumb dragon". At those words, Anduin was intrigued. The dragons he met before were, other than Wrathion, only Kairoz and Chromie. He heard stories of the four aspects, even saw them in person on the trial, but he never met them personally.

"If he's a dragon, can't he take care of himself?" the prince asked confused. Dragons were usually stronger than humans. What was funny was how confused the human next to the elf was. As if she wasn't supposed to know he was a dragon. Everything about this whole ordeal was confusing. 

"He's a bit… Dumb", the elf spoke as she reached over and pet the human on the head lovingly, "I'd take care of him personally, but I'm a champion of the horde. Having him close to him will endanger both him and horde-alliance relations. So I'm asking nicely if you could keep him with you, at least for a bit until the problems die down a bit". 

Anduin watched her. She seemed genuine with what she was saying, but he couldn't take just  _ anyone _ . He'd have to put him at work… Looking over towards the human, he seemed like a lost puppy. Ugh, he was too nice sometimes. "Okay. I will take care of him. For five years. You can come pick him up at any time in these 5 years, and after the 5 years have passed, he's no longer under my jurisdiction. Does that work for you?", Anduin asked, resting his chin against his hand while prompting himself against the throne’s armrest. He wasn’t sure if this was really a good idea, but it seemed fun enough to try.

“Yes. In half a decade I should be able to pick him up no problem. Hopefully, everything subsides by then”, the female curtsied before turning towards the human next to her. Her smile looked sad before she leaned in and kissed the man. She seemed to say something to him, but it was soft enough for Anduin not to hear. As she finished, she turned for the door and as soon as she was out of the keep, she called forward her steed, a skeletal something… Anduin couldn’t see clearly from so far away. He wanted to run out and see just what this blood elf was riding, but that would be dangerous and he knew it

“Umm, please take care of me, your majesty. I’ll try not to be in your way”, the blonde man spoke and Anduin was snapped out of his thoughts. He almost forgot that he got a babysitting job of some sorts now.

“Tell me, what’s your name, dragon? And which flight you belong to”, Anduin got up from the throne as he stepped towards the man. He was prepared to react quickly if he feels even slight malice coming off of him.

“Ah, yes”, the man smiled brightly, yep, this will be like babysitting… Something Anduin has never done before. “My given name was Irzenrion, I am of the Bronze Dragonflight, one of those assigned to take care of the history and the future of the Alliance. In my human form I am known as Irzen and,” at this point, his face seemed to grow a bit darker, “Aurolia calls me Izzy”. It didn’t take Anduin long to put two and two together. In a matter of seconds, he was next to Irzen with a smirk on his face.

“Ooooooooohhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh~~~~~ She’s your giiiiiiiiiiiirlfriiiiiiiiiiiiiiiend”, he cooed, so unlike a prince. But he didn’t care. He always loved listening to Jaina’s stories of love, he might as well get this guy talking too. The worlds seemed to make the dragon blush harder.

“W-Well, it’s not set in stone but yeah kinda maybe a bit I don’t know, you think so, I mean I like her a lot and as far as I can tell she doesn’t feel quite the same and hnnn it’s so hard dating someone who is not a dragon as well.”, damn, the dragon can surely talk once he starts blabbering.

“Woah, woah! From what I’ve seen she probably likes you back. And it’s not like you  **dragons** are any easier to date either. All you care about is yourselves and even if someone gives you their heart you will just take it, shove it onto a stick and then set it on fire and watch and laugh while the one who gave you his heart is crying and falling apart” Anduin jolted as he felt a hand pat his shoulder softly. Did he rant? He didn’t want to admit just how much he still loved and was still hurt by Wrathion.

“I am not sure which dragon hurt you, but, your majesty, we are not all like that. I’d give my life just to see her smile.” his voice was soft, kind and knowing, something he wasn’t expecting from someone who was stupid enough to walk into Orgrimmar looking like a human. Anduin looked him in the eyes for a bit before straightening up. No, he couldn’t waste time on this right now.

“Okay, listen up here. As a dragon, you should have at least some power, so I am putting you as my personal assistant. You are not to leave my side from the moment I leave my chambers in the morning and until I return to them at night, understood?” the safest place for him to make sure this guy doesn’t do anything stupid was to keep him by his side.

“Alright. Sounds good to me”, the man nodded softly. Anduin smiled softly before letting out a sigh as he moved back to his seat and looked at the invitation he got. The opening was scheduled in a couple of days. Lorthemar was going to welcome him personally and even take him on a tour of Silvermoon if the young prince is interested. He had always wanted to visit the Elven city in the north. He heard it was beautiful and rarely any human could say that they saw it.

“Irzen, you’re coming with me to Silvermoon city for this opening. So better work on you Thallasian”, he said simply before heading off towards the dining room to see if the dinner was prepared already or he still had free time to roam. He was glad to see Irzen following closely behind.

* * *

 

Getting portalled to Silvermoon City was one of the most awkward moments in Anduin’s life. First, he was taken to Dalaran where he was welcomed by Vereesa and Jaina, neither looking any excited that the Regent-Lord of Silvermoon had invited them to his city.

 

He could understand why, Lor'themar  _ is _ one of the horde leaders, and horde had done quite a number on these two women. He knew he had to be the positive one of the bunch, so he smiled. 

 

"Auntie! I didn't know that you were invited as well", he spoke with as much enthusiasm as he could. The archmage looked over and smiled seeing him. 

 

"Hey, Anduin. I was invited and asked to provide transportation. We're going there by teleport, so I hope you're ready", as she spoke, she began an incantation Anduin hasn't heard before as slowly a portal manifested in the air, "Let's go". 

 

One by one, everyone passed through the portal. Anduin felt the already familiar feel of arcane magic enveloping him before he stepped out and was greeted by tall, beautiful walls of Silvermoon, its gate as well as Regent-Lord Lor'themar, in the flesh, with four more people right behind him. 

 

"Welcome to my city, I'm glad that you could've made it. I assume your travel went without a problem?" the elf spoke, a smile gracing his slightly wrinkled face. He knew that he was much older than his father, but he certainly didn't look the part. 

 

"We're pleased to be here", Jaina spoke with a slight curtsy. Vareesa followed suit. 

 

"How come we were invited to an opening of a bar, Lord Theron? Is it really that big of a deal?" Anduin asked after exchanging his own greetings. 

 

"Well, you, I've invited because of what kind of bar it is, Lady Vereesa was invited to visit her hometown, as well as be your local guide whom you can trust. As for Lady Proudmoore, after the falling out we had, I've wanted to offer her a truce, and show her our beautiful city", Anduin nodded listening to the Regent-Lord's explanation but did catch a man behind him scoffing. He was dressed in long red and golden sleeveless robes with a tall collar. The man's black hair was tied back in a long ponytail and he looked more than discontented with the current situation. 

 

"Ah, now that you mention it, just what kind of a bar am I being invited to? I've only ever been to taverns in Pandaria", Anduin was curious, he wanted to get in Silvermoon right away and look at all the fabulous structures that he could only read about till now. 

 

"You'll see, prince Anduin. Now, I think you haven't met my advisors, Ranger-General Halduron Brightwing and Grand Magister Rommath", Lor'themar introduced the two men who both gave light bows to their Alliance guests, "As well as Lady Liadrin, the blood-knight matriarch". At her name, the only female, and only blood elf in full plate armor gave a small nod of respect. "Lady Jaina and Lady Vereesa should already be familiar with Archmage Aethas Sunreaver. The five of us will personally make sure that nothing happens during your visit to Silvermoon today" 

 

With the introductions finished Anduin felt like they could head into Silvermoon right away, but then he realized, he didn't see the death knight who brought the dragon to him. Well, she could either be on Draenor or somewhere inside. If they find her, he'll let Irzen go with her. He didn't really look like someone who could fight and protect him. 

 

Walking into Silvermoon, Anduin couldn’t help but gawk at everything. It was so beautiful, colorful, slick… Oh, coming here was such a good choice. Silvermoon was more beautiful than he even hoped it to be. Plus, Lor'themar himself had some nice eye candy around him. Anduin could already see himself forgetting Wrathion after just one night in Silvermoon. 

 

From the entrance, they headed straight on the left path and then at the crossroads they took a left turn. This way they entered into a wide area that the Regent-Lord called  _ Bazaar _ . From there, they headed diagonally and arrived at a part that seemed to be newly built out of the ruins. The entrance had a wooden door and the one called Halduron, the Ranger-General judging by his outfit, opened it, letting them file in one-by-one. 

 

Inside looked so beautiful. Compared to Stormwind taverns and inns filled with bare wooden tables and chairs, this was filled with much lower tables, with cushions instead of chairs. There was a relaxing scent about the place and the prince was glad he decided to come. 

 

"This is our newly built bar and hang out called  _ The Flaming Phoenix.  _ It's designed to give comfort to all patrons, but was mostly intended as a place for same-sex couples to be free to relax and enjoy themselves in peace without fearing that anyone will judge them”, it was the man with a tall collar that spoke this time as he described the use of certain parts of the bar. One part of that whole explanation caught Anduin’s ears.

 

“Same-sex couples?” Anduin asked. He didn’t remember seeing many of those around Azeroth, nor did he publically open up about his  _ friendship _ with Wrathion.

 

“Yes. Many Sin’dorei actually like both genders, and are open about their same-sex relationships at least in this city, but elsewhere we know that they are not as widely accepted as here, so we wanted to make sure people knew they were welcome here”, Lor’themar explained simply, “And I’ve heard of your relationship with a certain dark-skinned boy, so we thought why not extend our hand to any alliance that needed it as well.”

 

“Okay, one, that is very nice of you, Regent-Lord, and two, me and Wrathion had nothing between us. We were just friends”, Anduin stated, forcing the thoughts of the young dragon out of his head. He wanted to see him again so badly, but at the same time, he didn’t want to see him ever again.

 

“I didn’t know that the humans of Stormwind had the same tradition as us. Because, as my champion had mentioned to me, you and  _ Wrathion, _ as you say his name is, you two had kissed, at least once. Other races tend to see that as  _ gay _ and dislike such behavior, as far as we’ve seen”, the Ranger-General spoke as he seemed to smirk towards the one with a tall collar, but didn’t seem to move closer to him, not right now at least.

 

Anduin was speechless, someone knew of what happened in the Veiled Stair… Did that mean that his father knew he was befriending a black dragon? I mean it didn’t matter now, if he sees him again, he wouldn’t be against killing the cheating, lying, betraying motherfucker.

 

“Well, I am glad we got this short tour to see Silvermoon city, but we all have our other responsibilities to take care of, so thank you for having us, but we will be going now” Jaina spoke before curtsying a bit. Anduin wanted to whine and ask to stay, but he knew that couldn’t be possible. 

 

“If the Sin’dorei ever join the Alliance, I will be more than glad to come to visit again,” Anduin spoke with a soft smile. The truth was, he’d visit even without that, but it’s not so easy when you have a war raging on not far from there."Until then, it's safer for all of us not to mingle like this. I don't want people to question neither mine or your allegiances.  _ Especially _ after the trial", he said, alluding to people, and his father, finding about his friendship with the Tauren leader. 

 

"We understand your worries. Maybe in the future, we will be able to meet under more peaceful conditions", Lor'themar bowed before looking over at Vereesa and Jaina. No one had any more comments, but the tension between everyone was really heavy. Jaina began her incantation, summoning the portal to Dalaran as they all stepped through. Before stepping in, Anduin looked towards the elves again and smiled softly. 

 

"Your city is really beautiful. I really hope to visit it again. I'll treat you all to wine once I do", he spoke but knew that this was mostly just his wishful thinking. 

 

"One day maybe", with that sort of confirmation from Lor'themar, Anduin stepped through. 

 

* * *

 

" **What were you thinking, Anduin?!** How can you just trust the enemy like that? You can't just go freely exploring Horde capitals without a care in the world. You're the Prince of Stormwind and on top of that, the next heir to the crown. What would happen to Stormwind and the Alliance were you to be killed in Silvermoon?", Ah, Anduin forgot that even with his  _ real  _ father gone, he still had an advisor that treated him like a father. Genn Greymane, the leader of Worgen, and once a part of the Alliance of Lordaeron was a pain in the butt when Anduin didn't act 'as a prince should' even more than Varian. It often made him wonder what kind of dad Arthas would've been.

 

"I had Lady Jaina and Lady Vereesa with me. I was safe. The Regent-Lord wouldn't have lied in a message to me. Plus, father already started peace talks with the sin'dorei before the Dalaran purge happened", Anduin knew how to stand his ground. He wanted to welcome the sin'dorei back into the Alliance, but people like Genn were the ones not helping that cause at all. 

 

"That doesn't mean anything. They're all magicians there. You can't trust their tricks and words", Genn didn't seem to want to give in either, "How could you know that both Jaina and Vereesa weren't just illusions or someone altering their appearance?" 

 

"Because I  _ know  _ Jaina. Be it the horde-loving or horde-hating Jaina, Jaina is Jaina. You can't disguise yourself that much. I've dealt with black dragons in the past, remember. And they were the masters of trickery, so I know these kinds of things!" why couldn't Genn just understand this? He was fine, everyone else was fine. They were over there for less than half an hour. 

 

"And we know how your dealings with black dragons ended. One kidnapped you, another freed a war criminal and cause  _ this _ to happen", well, Anduin couldn't deny that, but he was older now. He knew things now that he didn't back then.

 

"Katrana kidnapped me when I was but a  _ child _ , Genn! A  _ parentless child _ , mind you. As for Wrathion, I…", he had no excuse for the younger dragon. Wrathion couldn't have lied… Yet, he betrayed him and freed a war criminal. 

 

"Neither of that is an excuse for their actions, young prince. Do you really think that you were safe back there? You were in an enemy city, filled with enemy guards. One word and they would've killed all of you. You, Jaina, Vereesa… Anyone", Genn was in the right here, but Anduin didn't want to admit to it. It was true that it was  _ very  _ dangerous, but they were here, they were fine. 

 

"I know, Genn. But they  _ didn't.  _ We're here, alive and well", the prince just wanted this topic dropped, "I promise I will be more careful next time." The old king was silent for a while before letting out a long sigh. 

 

"You need to take care of yourself more. Your father could easily die tomorrow and then you'd be the king. Your life  _ will  _ be targeted even more than it is now." Genn had a point, Anduin knew this and sadly, he couldn’t deny it that much anymore,

 

“I will make sure to go through you from now on with every decision I have, Genn.”, Anduin said, trying to sound as believable as possible. He didn’t want anyone controlling his life. And he wasn't gonna let anyone control it. 


	19. The New King's Coronation

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Soon exams will end and I will find a way to write two stories at the same time while also playing wow, but till then, irregular updates, cri

Anduin was the king for around two months before his father returned from the alternative timeline, as he heard some people call it. If it was the alternative timeline, then all of  _ this  _ was caused by Wrathion, technically. 

 

Slowly things returned to normal, but there was a worry in a lot of people who've returned. As far as Anduin heard, a great evil had escaped into their world and no one knew when it might strike. There were whispers of the burning legion returning, but Anduin didn't want to listen. It reminded him of Wrathion's words back then. He was all about the return of the burning legion and how they have to stop it… Yet, he was the real reason they might come back. 

 

"You've done a great job keeping Stormwind standing, son", Anduin was snapped out of his thoughts by his father's voice. He looked up at him confused before smiling softly. 

 

"I've only done what you would've done, father. There weren't that many problems, so it was easy", Anduin spoke proudly. He felt the hand rest on top of his head. 

 

"I'm glad. It means even after I retire you can take over no problem", the thought made Anduin's heart ache. Wrynns didn't retire, they died. He didn't want his dad to die. Not yet. 

 

"Oh please, you have way too many years in front of you before I take the crown as the rightful king", Anduin chuckled. 

 

" _ But you're not the rightful king. You're queen Tiffin's bastard son, with no one other than Arthas Menethil _ " the voices in his head hissed. He ignored them. He didn't need that negativity right now. He wanted to spend quality time with the man he saw as his father. 

 

"That's what I thought when I was young about my father as well… It doesn't hurt to be ready, son", Anduin wasn't sure if this was a lesson or just a comment, but he knew that the man was right. If the burning legion does come back, no one can say what will and what won't happen. 

 

* * *

 

_ He stood in the now-familiar cave. It was Onyxia's lair. Whenever he had dreams connected to the void, he'd end up either here, or in the throne room. He kind of liked it here more. It had more of a meaning. Like, here he learned of the void, here he was offered  _ **_power._ **

 

_ "Anduin, what a pleasure to see you here", he quickly turned to look at the one speaking. He recognized the voice way too well. It was Wrathion's, and, indeed, the black prince stood in front of him, the knowing smirk on his face, his ruby eyes shining as always. Light, how Anduin wanted to kiss him, hug him, slap him… it really was a bunch of mixed feelings right now.  _

 

_ But he didn't.  _

 

_ Instead, he sighed. He wasn't going to fall for the void's tricks. "I know you're not  _ **_him_ ** _. So, just go back to Aunt-Katrana's form, please", Anduin spoke. Wrathion was still for a moment or two, looking as if he wanted to speak, but then a soft purplish mist enveloped him before the lithe figure of Katrana Prestor graced him with her presence once again.  _

 

 _"Why didn't you get him on our side? You_ ** _need_** _him._ ** _We_** **_need_** _him", Katrana spoke, for the first time in these dreams she wasn't completely kind._

 

_ "Well, I did try. And then he, yknow,  _ **_ran away to another dimension_ ** _ ", Anduin wasn't any less sassy than when he hung with Wrathion, and he wasn't gonna let anyone talk to him without respect or make him do what he doesn't want to do.  _

 

_ "You should've followed him there. Instead, you play king and go on peace trips to Elven lands. Your time as king will come, you should've concentrated on the young dragon", Katrana's voice grew softer. She was still reprimanding him, but at least now she wasn't demanding it.  _

 

_ "I tried at first, but they didn't let me. I'll see to go look for him the next time my father is busy. Besides that, I  _ **_was_ ** _ planning to send an SI:7 operative or two to look for him", Anduin spoke all matter-of-factly.  _

 

_ "Good, great. With the help of your agent, we will find him. And then, everything will be as it should, and one of few last standing black dragons will be ours", Katrana's voice was rather sinister now, but Anduin didn't mind that part that much.  _

 

_ "One of few? Wasn't he the last one?", Anduin was confused and curious. Wrathion lived in belief that he was the only one. Did he actually have more family?  _

 

_ "Your, alliance's, champions will soon come in contact with one other black dragon. He is being protected by different powers from us. It'd be harder to get him.", Katrana spoke as she began petting Anduin's hair gently. It was moments like these that Anduin felt like he had a mother. Well, both when void Katrana did it, as well as when his light mother did it. He was just a boy torn between the two. _

 

* * *

 

In their world, peace and calm could only last for  _ so long _ . Before even a couple weeks passed since the heroes of Azeroth returned to their home planet, trouble struck. Anduin didn't know all the details beyond ' _ the burning legion has returned _ '. Well, he didn't need to know more, he knew that that in itself spelled trouble. 

 

His father took most of the army, sent letters to heroes of the Alliance before heading out himself. After all, if there is a fight or a war, nothing could keep Varian at home, Anduin knew that. And as much as he, too, wanted to come with, someone needed to stay home and give hope to people. 

 

And who better to spread hope than the priest prince of the Alliance, the golden boy with a pure heart. Anduin hated those titles. Ever since Pandaria, when most people did come back with purer hearts, Anduin came back corrupted. He was in touch with the void, and at the same time, he loved someone, someone whom he wanted nothing more than to find, capture, and keep locked close to himself, to manipulate, to own… 

 

It was thoughts like these that made Anduin smile and laugh awkwardly when he was called the golden boy, the angel, or pure of heart. But it wasn't as if he'd let anyone know. He would never reveal these secrets to his subordinates, to his people. 

 

* * *

 

_ Anduin wasn't sure when exactly he had fallen asleep, but he knew he was asleep when he saw his mother's face in front of him. He was a grown man, yet he still found himself the calmest when he was close to his mother like this. It was probably just the light warming and calming him.  _

 

_ He was happy that this time he got to see his real mother and not Katrana. He was worried about his father on the battlefield and her pressence was making him feel much better. _

 

_ " _ _ Both of us are gone, We need you _

_ My life was taken but I never left you _

_ Varian and I are now as one, Forever _

_ I pray to the light That you save Azeroth _ _ ", her voice was so calming as she began singing, but Anduin then realized what her words actually meant. Was the light foretelling his father's death?  No, it can't be. His dad will return, right? There was no way he won't be coming back,  **right**? _

 

_ " _ _ He saw me through your eyes _

_ My death was his heart's demise _

_ His strength led alliance to victory _

_ Now he stands here with love in his heart, by me _

_ We live through your love _ _ ", he felt tears filling up his eyes. No, this… This can't be. There was no way his father could be gone or killed. as he pulled back a bit, looking at his mother, he saw her smiling softly as Varian stood by her. They looked happy together, they looked fine,... But that meant that Varian was truly gone. _

 

_ " _ _ I tried to make some sense from this tragedy _

_ The legion has returned, must try to help you _

_ Now you wield the light I did, you have followed _

_ I pray to the light That you do not give up _

_ I see me through your eyes _

_ Leading through love and through light _ _ ", his mother seemed certain that he was ready, but was he? He had always thought that he'd have at least another year or two with his dad before he had to become the king of Stormwind and the Alliance. It was a lot to take in, a lot to worry about. A lot of responcibility. _

 

_ " _ _ The crown is now yours, son you must be brave _

_ So I offer my love from beyond the grave _

_ For you _

_ Though his heart was never open _

_ (he still shared his love with me) _

_ Fought his way out of defias _

_ Took the crown for the Alliance _

_ Feel the power within, from me and Varian _

_ Varian _

_ (we see you through our eyes) _ _ ", the prince didn't want to accept this. Just how would anyone? He wanted to wake up, wake up to a reality that his father is fine, alive and well…  _

 

_ "  _ _ We see you through our eyes _

_ (leading through love and through light) _

_ Your father he loved you and knew the price _

_ Had to offer his life as a sacrifice _

_ We live through your love _ _ ", tears were now rolling off of Anduin's face. Was he gonna be alone now? Parentless?  He still needed a parent for advice. What if he fucks up? What if he destroys the Alliance instead of saving it? _

 

_ " _ _ We live through your light _

_ We need you _

_ We need you _ _ ", her voice was slowly becoming more and more distant. Anduin tried reaching out for her but there was nothing there. He was alone…  _

 

* * *

 

He snapped out of his dream and looked around. He was sitting on the throne in the Stormwind Keep. When did he fall asleep? He was probably just really tired from waiting. Looking around, there was still no sign of anyone's return from the Broken Shore. Thankfully no one caught the new king just sleeping on the throne like that. 

 

He released a sigh. He wanted news about his father, about broken shore. It wasn't long before he saw people entering. He perked up on the throne, expecting to see his father. But he wasn't there. What was there, however, was a casket, that he had a feeling was empty. 

 

The group that entered seemed to have most of the racial leaders, as well as Jaina. Those missing were Genn and Moira. It was a time for them all to mourn the fallen king.

 

"I can't believe he's really gone." Muradin Bronzebeard spoke as he looked at the casket. Anduin smiled sadly and nodded. 

 

"He died with honor, protecting his people. He was a true king", _one I will never be able to surpass,_ Anduin thought as Falstad Wildhammer spoke. 

 

"His valor inspired us all, even in death. His spirit will be with us, always.", Anduin was thankful for such words from his master's, Velen's, words. 

 

"King Anduin, the hero of the Broken Shore approaches.", Jaina spoke and Anduin looked up, watching as a Draenei approached them slowly. 

 

"At last, some good news on this day of sorrow.", he spoke, feigning a smile. He couldn't show his weak side in front of so many people. The draenei handed Anduin a scroll, sealed with his father's sigil. 

 

"My father was a seasoned strategist, yet his army was shattered on the Broken Shore. How can I hope to succeed where he failed?", Anduin spoke as he sighed. He wasn't made for this position, he was made to help people, not lead a faction to, possible, war. 

 

"Have you forgotten the Horde's treachery? It's time to bring them to heel like the dogs they are!", Jaina said, hitting the floor with her staff's end. It pained Anduin to see Jaina like this. He knew that it was because of the mana bomb, but Garrosh had been dealt with, the Horde wasn't all like that. 

 

"Velen is right. We must stand beside the demon hunters and focus on the Legion. Now is not the time to --", Anduin tried to dissuade her, but she cut him off.    
  


"The Horde betrayed your father and left us to die! To fight alongside those cowards would dishonor everything he stood for.", Jaina wasn't easily swayed. Her heart was in the right place, but her mind was still clouded for her hate towards the horde. 

 

"Agreed. I'm sorry, Jaina, but vengeance must wait. I trust you're mobilizing the Kirin Tor as we discussed?", with a sigh, Anduin continued discussing their further plans. 

 

"Dalaran will help protect the Eastern Kingdoms, but I will not allow the Horde to set foot within my city!", Jaina said sternly and the young king couldn't help but frown at her words. 

 

"We must not splinter like this... not now. Please, Jaina!", he begged her. 

 

"You disappoint me, King of Stormwind. But sooner or later you will see the truth. You all will!", her words hurt him, but there was nothing he could say. 

 

" _ My father dead... disaster on the Broken Shore... Jaina fixed on revenge... Everything is falling apart. _ ", Anduin thought sadly. He truly wasn't sure what to do or say anymore. He wanted to be alone for a minute, but faith just didn't want to give him a moment of silence. 

 

He didn't pay too much attention to him before, but there was already a night elf demon hunter there. He was claiming that he was sent out by Khadgar and Maiev to warn about the incoming demon invasion on Azeroth. Of course, no one really believed his words. 

 

"Having the Illidari among us makes me uneasy. Their kind has been locked away since my brother's fall.", Malfurion spoke, glaring towards the newcomer. He seemed to dislike his kind, but Anduin really didn't know the reason. 

 

"I understand, husband. But for Maiev to release them, the situation must be even more dire than we know.", Tyrande spoke as she took Malfurion's hand in hers. 

 

The demon hunter sighed before going over to one of the guards, getting his weapons at the ready. 

 

"Did you think I wouldn't see what you truly are, demon?", the elf spoke as he glared at the man who gave a light chuckle at that. 

 

"You discovered us too late, Illidari! FELBLADE, ATTACK!", as the guard yelled that, a couple of other guards transformed into demons as well as him. 

 

"Demons in the throne room! Protect the king!", Malfurion called out as the fight began, but thankfully the demons were beaten easily. However, everyone knew that this was not the end of them. It was time to strike true at the Broken Isles. 

 

* * *

 

Anduin wanted more than anything to join the fight. He wanted nothing more than to be there, at the front lines with his men and fight for the future of Azeroth, but Genn wasn't having it. 

 

"There is no way that I'm letting you go, are you insane? The Alliance needs their king, Anduin! If you go out and stupidly die on the battlefield, what will happen to the Alliance?", Genn was furious. Anduin could tell that he was holding back his feral form from popping out. 

 

"Genn, I need to go. What kind of king am I if I sit back behind these walls while my people fight out there and die?", Anduin didn't want to back down. He was the king, he should go and fight on the battlefield like his father did, like Genn, Jaina and Velen are doing. 

 

"An alive one! Don't you think the legion is a bit of a too big bite for you, Anduin? We have the Illidari on our side now, we will be fine", Genn wasn't backing down either. Why didn't he understand? Anduin just sat back on the throne seeing that his words were reaching deaf ears. 

 

"Fine! I'll stay here then. But I can't stay behind walls forever, Genn. If I do people might as well riot and throw me off", he said crossing his arms across his chest. He hated that Genn treated him like a kid. He was of age! At this age, his father was already fighting and ruling without anyone telling him what to do. 

 

"I'm doing this for your own good, my king", Genn spoke in a softer tone, but Anduin didn't wanna hear any of it. 

 

"Just go! Aren't  _ you  _ needed on the Broken Isles?" Anduin spoke as he chose to look towards the garden. He remembered when Onyxia, forcibly, took him out of this keep when he was a child. "Bolvar was a better  _ dad _ than you", Anduin mumbled under his breath, wanting to say it but not really be heard. 

 

* * *

 

A few weeks into the war with legion, one of the champions visited him and handed him a compass. He recognized it with ease, it was the one he gifted to his father. He dismissed the champion and just spent the remainder of the day looking at the compass. Was he allowed to mourn him now? Did he actually need to wait for the legion war to end? This wasn't right. 

 

A couple more days he stayed at the throne room before just getting up without a single word and going to the chapel. He wanted to be alone with his thoughts. It didn't help him that he had the void nagging at his mind every moment it was free. It really made him wonder how bored it must be if it keeps bothering him on a daily basis. 

 

As he was sitting there, praying, he heard the sound of hoofs against the stone. The hoof steps approached him and he let out a sigh. He didn't even need to turn to see who it was. 

 

"Let me guess... Genn sent you. I wonder which he's more concerned about... my well-being, or keeping up the appearance that everything is normal?", Anduin said, not really expecting an answer from the draenei. As he stood and turned around, he faced Epora, a draenei monk.

 

"Your majesty, I'm certain King Greymane worries about your well-being more than keeping up appearances. Losing you would be a great loss for the Alliance.", the monk spoke, but Anduin didn't believe those words. 

 

"My father was a legend. He oversaw the rebuilding of Stormwind, stood toe-to-toe with dragons, led the Alliance to numerous victories. Then, one day, he was just... gone. I wear his crown, I hold his title. But I've done nothing to earn them... or the faith of my people.", the prince spoke with a sigh, "I've spent the war sequestered in the keep, surrounded by guards and advisors. I need to walk the streets of Stormwind, to know whether it is hope or fear that beats in the hearts of my people. I welcome your company." 

 

"Of course, my king", the monk bowed a bit as she followed after Anduin as he headed out. 

 

"I'll need a disguise to move through the city without attracting attention. I think I know just the spell. Follow me." the prince said as he began casting his spell. The spell causes his clothes to change. Although the cut is basically the same, the materials are now drab brown cloth and leathers, with a hood that hangs low over his eyes.

 

In this disguise, they passed the guards without any suspicion, and with ease, they were in the streets of Stormwind. 

 

* * *

 

After his tour through Stormwind, Anduin realized what he had to do. He had to go to the Broken shore, see where his father had fallen. Maybe then he would feel better, feel stronger and, more than anything, feel like a king. 

 

It took him a bit, but in the end, he had reached Wrynnfall. He saw Genn and Velen a bit ahead of him, already approaching his destination before him. 

 

"Here, this is where his father fell.", he heard the old king speak. So he came to the right destination after all. 

 

"The boy has never known the horrors of the Legion as we have.", he heard his master speak and decided to come out of his hiding. He needed to face his fears and his destiny. 

 

"No,", he began as he lowered his hood approaching them, "I haven't." 

 

"Anduin…", Velen began but was interrupted by an angry Gilnean.

 

"How could you just leave?", he asked. 

 

"I had to come here." Anduin simply responded as he walked past them. The dark-green look of the area was giving him the chills, but he knew he had to be here, he had to see this pile of bones and corpses. 

 

"My boy, you don't need to see this.", Glenn's voice came much softer this time. It was almost as if it wasn't the same man anymore, but the prince wasn't listening to him. Instead, he glanced up at the Screaming Cliffs; images of the Horde's archers appeared as smoke before quickly vanishing into the wind. He walked forward, feeling a pull towards one skeleton amidst the ash. Looking to the side he could see the remains of the Fel Reaver. It was so big and scary, he wondered if his father took it all on his own. He walked further up to the cracked depression and stares down at the remains.

 

"Father…", he muttered, before he felt something stab him as he collapsed to his knees. He knew it was just emotional pain, but it was unbearable. He noticed a slight glimmer in the sand and ashes, so he quickly cleared them, revealing the right half of Shalamayne to himself. He knew his father was dead, but seeing his sword here, tossed aside, was painful for the young prince. 

 

"You never surrendered.", the prince spoke as he looked up from the sword to the Tomb of Sargeras, the door to  _ hell,  _ "Even here, at the very end". He looked back down at the sword. "I cannot do this, father. I can't be the hero you were. I can't be the king you were", as he spoke, he could've sworn he saw the reflection of his father in the blade. 

 

"Anduin…", the prince didn't pay any attention to the older king approaching him. He was lost in his own thoughts. "Your father's actions were indeed heroic. They were his challenge to us, his people to never let fear prevail…", a

 sword was placed in his hands as the older man keeps talking, "Even at the very gates of hell". 

 

Anduin looks back up at Genn, but his mind takes him to Stormwind where he is surprised to see his father in the middle of the Valley of Heroes. His heart aches as he hoped that this was real, he needed his father, the whole alliance needed his father. 

 

_ They are standing, facing each other. Varian looked upon his son with a proud and gentle smile. Anduin looks down at the blade then at his father, looking up at him for answers.  _

 

_ "What am I supposed to do now?", he asks. Varian puts his hand on his shoulder, and Anduin could swear that he could feel it. The past king's face is an expression of firm commitment. _

_ "What a King must do.", the answer came. Anduin could recognize his own words from back in Pandaria.  _

 

Anduin closed his eyes and gathered his thoughts to reconvene into the present. The young king felt the ever-familiar warmth course down his arms and into the blade. The king of Stormwind looked up and opened  his eyes, his expression as if a reflection of Varian. He has found his resolve. He will protect what his father had built. For this was, his coronation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> The song Tiffin sings is this  
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=502X_uenkwM  
> I've been in love with this parody song since I first heard it and just, yeah.  
> Sharm, who sang it, is really talented, so go check her out, if you haven't already!


End file.
